Ireland is braced for the first major storm of the season to make landfall on Sunday, with seven counties under Met Ãireannâs status orange wind warnings.
The warnings in advance of Storm Ashley, which has been issued for counties Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Leitrim, Galway, Mayo and Sligo forecasts very strong and gusty south to southwest winds, coupled with high spring tides, the forecaster said.
The warning is in place from 10am on Sunday to 9pm, with winds of up to 120km/h expected.
The forecaster warned of damage to power lines and to already weakened structures.
Other possible impacts on these counties were coastal flooding; large coastal waves; displacement of loose objects; fallen trees; very difficult travelling conditions; and dangerous conditions at sea.
Meanwhile, the rest of the country is under a status yellow wind warning from midnight tonight until 3am on Monday, while much of the southeast is under a status yellow rain warning this morning, with risk of spot flooding.
Marine warnings for storms and gales are in place around the country, with the west coast, from Malin Head to Valentia, under orange warnings.
Carlow Weather, a longtime Irish meteorological commentator, warned that the current lull after the first wave of rain was forecast and that more danger is to come: remember that the orange warnings only kick in at 10am.
Power outages in southern and western counties
Hundreds of people awoke without power in the south and west of the State on Saturday, with ESB Networkâs fault map showing outages in Clare, Limerick, Cork, Tipperary, Galway, Mayo, Donegal and further afield.
In Mayo, 112 people were without power in Westport, while more than 300 were without power in Ardnaree, according to ESB Powercheck.
In Limerick, over 600 faced a fault around Foynes, while in Cork, Midleton, Mallow and Castlelyons were among the places affected.
Storm Ashley is the first named storm of the season, which runs from September to September.
The low-pressure system developed in the western North Atlantic on the southern side of the Jet Stream, Met Ãireann said in its commentary.
Travelling across the Atlantic and crossing to the northern side of the Jet Stream, it was expected to undergo rapid deepening late on Saturday.
It comes at a problematic time, with tides already high.
âWe are currently in a period of exceptionally high spring tides, and this, tied in with the strong winds and high waves, will substantially increase the risk of coastal flooding, especially along Atlantic coasts,â meteorologist Liz Walsh said.
A number of coastal roads and amenities were closed in Galway in advance of expected coastal flooding risk this morning.
The high tide coincided with the storm from 6.30am to 8.30am, and will do so again from 6.30pm.
From 10pm on Saturday night, Salthill Prom from Seapoint mini-roundabout to Galway Business School and Grattan Road from Seapoint Road to Claddagh Quay junction with Fr Griffin Road were closed.
The Dock Road, including Spanish Arch, Merchants Road and Wolfetone Bridge, was also closed overnight.
