Public urged to be ‘vigilant’ as Storm Kathleen hits Ireland

Severe wind conditions could cause difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, power outages, coastal flooding and wave overtopping.
A tourist poses for a photograph on the Burren, near Black Head lighthouse, County Clare in the Republic of Ireland as Storm Jocelyn hit in January (Niall Carson/PA)
PA Wire
Cate McCurry5 April 2024

The public has been urged to be “vigilant” and prepare for severe wind conditions when Storm Kathleen hits Ireland on Saturday morning.

Met Eireann has issued status orange warnings for Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Galway and Mayo on Saturday.

Cork, Kerry and Waterford will be under an orange wind warning from 7am until 2pm, while another status orange warning for wind will be in effect for Galway and Mayo from 9am until 6pm.

Met Eireann warned that Storm Kathleen will bring very strong and gusty southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts.

A nationwide yellow wind warning is in place from early on Saturday.

On Friday, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) Crisis Management Team convened a Met Eireann technical briefing to assess possible impacts from Storm Kathleen, a significant low-pressure system currently tracking off the west coast.

The team has warned of the potential impacts of Storm Kathleen to include very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages, coastal flooding and wave overtopping.

Speaking after the meeting, Keith Leonard, national director of the NDFEM, said: “Given the challenging wind conditions expected, I would urge members of the public to stay away from all coastal areas for the duration of the Met Eireann warnings.

“Also, strong winds can make driving conditions hazardous – especially for the more vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles – and road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris.

“Importantly, I would remind people that it is critical that they never ever touch or approach fallen wires.

“Be sure to stay safe and stay clear of fallen or damaged electricity wires and, if you encounter any, do contact ESB Networks at 1800 372 999.

“Where power cuts do occur, use the PowerCheck App to check for reconnection times.

“We will continue to monitor the ongoing weather conditions and ensure that all relevant state bodies are responding appropriately to meet any challenges.

“I would advise everybody to keep up to date with information regarding the developing weather situation via the Met Eireann platforms available.”

The Irish Coast Guard has also appealed to “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has also urged road users to exercise caution on Saturday.

Motorists have been advised to be aware of objects being blown out onto the road, watch for falling and fallen debris, to allow extra space between themselves and other road users and drive with dipped headlights at all times.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh Tyrone and Derry, which will stay in place from 8am until 10pm.

It has warned of blustery showers in part of Northern Ireland, with strong to gale force southerly winds and possibly severe gales for a time along the Down and Antrim coasts.

It said that some exposed and coastal areas could see gusts reaching higher speeds of up to 70mph.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in