STRONG WINDS & HEAVY RAINFALL FOR FRIDAY WITH THE RISK OF FLOODING BUT A IMPROVEMENT AT THE WEEKEND
A wet and windy period of weather is set to move over Ireland on Friday leading to a very poor day around country. This is due to a a deepening area of low pressure which moves towards Ireland and the UK on Friday morning and day moving in of the Atlantic.
On Friday midday a area of low pressure will track eastwards across the Atlantic and pass close to the west and northwest coast of Ireland.
On Friday Morning a band of heavy rainfall will move into southwest and west of Ireland around dawn spreading to all areas after and becoming heavier as it does so.
The main risk from this storm system is the flooding it may cause in parts of the country due to the amount of rainfall which has all ready falling in places this week with some areas the ground is already well saturated, and some poorly drained soils may be waterlogged.
The public should be alert for difficult road and driving conditions on Friday afternoon and evening especially during rush hour as there will be a good bit of surface water and flooding on roads along with spray coming from other vehicles which will lead to poor visibility
Continues below
Below shows the rainfall moving into the southwest on Friday morning and spreading over the country over the day and clearing northeastwards on Friday night.
There is potential for severe and damaging gusts, especially on coasts. There is also a risk of coastal damage due to wave overtopping, with the timing of the strongest winds coinciding with high tide on some coasts. Gust along some coastal areas especially along Atlantic coastal county’s could peak at 110km/hr to 120km/hr with gust of up to 80 to 100km/hr over inland areas.
54-hour high resolution HARMONIE model from Met Eireann showing the risk of strong winds on Friday
A yellow weather warning for strong winds and rainfall has already been issued by the Met Office UK for Northern Ireland for Friday
Met office UK warning currently in place for Friday for Northern Ireland, Southwest England and southern Wales.
WARNING FOR NORTHERN IRELAND, SOUTHERN WALES AND SOUTHWEST ENGLAND
A spell of heavy rain and strong winds is expected on Friday.
What to expect
Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely
Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer
Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely
It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves
Some short term loss of power and other services is possible
Flooding of a few homes and business is likely
Further details
A band of heavy rain is expected to move east during Friday with widely 15-25 mm of rain falling and perhaps 40-60 mm over higher ground. This will be in addition to other spells of heavy rain earlier in the week affecting a similar area. Rain will be accompanied by strong winds with gusts of 50 mph possible inland and perhaps 60 mph around some coasts.
WARNING FOR IRELAND
I expect weather warnings to be issued over the coming hours from Met Eireann and for both wind and rainfall for parts of Ireland.
Over the weekend temperatures will remain near normal for the time of year with lows of around 8C by day and highs of around 11C to 12C. There will be a number of thundery showers around on Saturday and Sunday with the slight risk of hail in some showers but a lot of drier weather around between these too and even some sunny spells. Heaviest of the showers this weekend will occur across Western Ulster, Connacht into west Munster.
Kenneth from the Donegal Weather Channel
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