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Met Éireann has issued orange wind warnings for 11 counties as storm Dennis brings high winds and heavy rain across the country.
Counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford and Wexford will all be affected by mean wind speeds of up to 80km/h and gusts of 120km/h.
The warning is in place on Saturday for Waterford and Wexford until 8pm and comes into place from 10am until 10pm on Sunday for the other counties covered by the orange warning.
Leinster and counties Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Waterford will have a yellow wind warning in place from 10am until 10pm on Sunday.
Storm Dennis will bring very wet and windy weather today. Strong to gale force southerly winds will continue with severe gusts and localised thunderstorms. Localised flooding is expected, with some coastal overtopping along the Atlantic seaboard. Highs today of 9 to 12 degrees. pic.twitter.com/jy3wBRSG4U
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 15, 2020
Met Éireann said that the winds will be strongest on exposed coasts and hills.
Storm Dennis
A yellow wind warning is in place for the remainder of the country with mean speeds of 50 to 60km/h forecast, gusting up to 100km/h in places.
From 8pm on Saturday until 10am on Sunday, the following counties will have a yellow wind warning in place: Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.
Met Éireann also has a yellow rainfall warning in place nationwide, with spells of heavy, locally thundery rain on Saturday leading to some flooding.
When will the storm be at its worst?
Met Éireann said the first round of wet and windy weather as a result of storm Dennis will reach the Atlantic coast on Saturday morning, spreading countrywide, and easing later on.
The core of storm Dennis will gradually fill and weaken on Sunday as it tracks southeastward towards Ireland, bringing squally showers with a risk of thunder.
Met Éireann has said a widespread status yellow wind warning is likely to be issued and possibly orange level winds locally.
On Monday winds will gradually ease, but showery conditions can be expected with wintry conditions possible.
What about flooding?
Met Éireann has said that river levels are elevated across the country, particularly in the midlands, west and south, so any heavy rainfall would cause issues in these areas.
There is a possibility of coastal flooding, especially along western and southern coasts Saturday and Sunday coinciding with high tides.
This story was updated at 1.48pm on Saturday.
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