Storm Darragh: Red wind warnings in place for six counties with ‘very violent conditions’ forecast

Very wet and stormy conditions are expected across Ireland tonight and on Saturday morning as Storm Darragh batters the country.
Met Éireann’s status red weather warnings – the most severe level – for several counties in the west have come into effect as the storm makes landfall coming in off the Atlantic.
A status orange warning for wind will also be in affect countrywide tonight and on Saturday.
Warnings:
That’s it from us for live coverage of Storm Darragh for the moment, check back in the morning for further ongoing updates.
Several reports of fallen trees and debris in areas of Cork and Kerry so far resulting in road closures.
At least 19,000 homes and businesses are currently without power, according to ESB’s PowerCheck.
Those in Kerry and Galway are the most affected so far, with 4,797 customers in Oughterard, Co Galway alone without power.
In Kerry, a further 1,850 in Kilgarvan and 2,093 in Gurranebane are among the worst hit areas.
The red wind warning for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo is now in effect.
The first red warning for Storm Darragh has now come into effect for counties Mayo, Clare and Galway.
Power outages are largely confined to the west and south west of the country.
Mayo’s will remain in place until 3am with Clare and Galway’s in effect until 2am.
Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo will turn red from 10pm.
From John Fallon in Galway:
Multiple agencies along with business owners, householders and individuals spent Friday bracing themselves in Galway for the latest storm to lash the west of Ireland.
Galway City Mayor Peter Keane led the calls for people not to be out between 10pm and 2am when a red weather alert is in operation.
Work continued throughout heavy winds on Friday as the west coast braced itself for the arrival of Storm Darragh. An orange weather alert on Friday was upgraded to red between 10pm and 2am, and will revert to orange from 2am until 10am on Saturday morning.
“We are on top of it but things can change very quickly in a storm,” said Mr Keane. “The safety of people is paramount.”
Sandbags were delivered throughout the city, particularly in areas around the Spanish Arch, Claddagh and Salthill, where some car parks were closed.
Householders and business owners in the Spanish Arch, Flood Street and Quay Street areas have in recent years invested in their own flood-prevention equipment and these were put in place just a couple of weeks after being used during Storm Conall.
Galway City Council has its road crews and fire personnel on standby for the worst of the storm, while Galway County Council also had all its crews ready to deal with problems as they arise in the second biggest county in the country.
Damage to trees and power lines are expected, with some homes in south Connemara only recently reconnected after their electricity was disrupted in the last storm.
Members of the public have been urged to be on high alert for fallen branches and debris, while dangerous driving conditions are expected and people have been urged not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
In the UK, meanwhile, three million people received an emergency alert from the Government on Friday after forecasters issued a rare red warning for wind as Storm Darragh hits the UK.
The alert was issued at 6.45pm to people in areas covered by the red warning in parts of Wales and the southwest.
The emergency alert system sent a message to every compatible mobile phone in the impacted areas, containing information about the red warning and guidance on how to stay safe into Saturday.
It was the largest use of the system outside a test scenario – the last test being in April 2023.
Mobile phones made a loud siren-like sound even if they were set on silent. The sound and vibration lasted for about 10 seconds.
Red is the most serious weather warning the UK’s Met Office can issue, meaning dangerous weather is expected and people are urged to take action to keep themselves and others safe. – PA
Outgoing Taoiseach Simon Harris has urged those living in areas covered by red warnings to take them “extraordinarily seriously”.
“A red weather warning does mean do not travel during that period of time, and even though it is a Friday night and coming up to the Christmas season, I’d really encourage people to heed that advice and indeed to follow closely weather advice in the hours ahead.
“Of course, there’s an orange weather warning for the rest of the country as well. So, really, people in that area should avoid any unnecessary travel at all. It is important people take these warnings very, very seriously in terms of protecting life in the hours ahead,” he said. – PA
An Post is anticipating disruption to its services nationwide on Saturday, saying: “We will get your post to you as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Gas Networks Ireland, meanwhile, which operates Ireland’s gas network, does not anticipate any disruption to gas supplies for its 720,000 customers during Storm Darragh.
“All works are currently scheduled to take place as normal, however as the safety of our staff, customers and the public is paramount, our teams will assess conditions locally and may defer some work if required for safety reasons,” it said in a statement on Friday evening.
Regardless of weather alerts in place, however, it said its emergency services continue to operate as normal.
“If you smell gas at home or on the street, please call 1800 20 50 50 immediately,” it said.
An update just in from daa which is expecting a wet and windy night at Dublin Airport, though it remains hopeful that there will not be too much disruption for passengers.
Passengers due to fly throughout the weekend are being advised to monitor updates from airlines as disruptions elsewhere could have a knock-on impact to airline schedules.
“Operations are moving well so far this evening and we expect that to continue for the remainder of the night. We also anticipate running a full schedule on Saturday morning,” said Graeme McQueen, media relations manager at daa.
The highest winds at Dublin Airport are not expected until after midnight tonight, “which is a quieter period for us in terms of flight movements,” he said.
“Some go-arounds are possible in that period depending on conditions. However, the forecast suggests that wind directions will be favourable and will blow along our two main runways, as opposed to across them which would make things more challenging and possibly see us having to use our crosswind runway,” Mr McQueen said.
Although Dublin Airport is expected to escape the worst of Storm Darragh, it is possible that other airports will be worse affected, he said, which could result in some aircraft having to divert to Dublin.
“The team here has a plan in place for that eventuality. It is possible that disruption at other airports in Ireland and the UK could have a knock-on impact to airline schedules. Therefore, as always, passengers should stay in contact with their airline for updates regarding specific flights,” he said.
The Christmas market held at Dublin Castle may close early on Friday evening in advance of Storm Darragh’s arrival, according to the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The market will open at 1pm on Saturday “at the earliest”, rather than at its set opening time of 12pm.
The OPW is advising the public to keep an eye on its website throughout the weekend due to possible site closures elsewhere.
Several bus services in Limerick, Galway, Mayo, Donegal, Sligo and Wicklow initially scheduled to run later this evening and tonight have been affected or cancelled in advance of Storm Darragh’s arrival.
Transport for Ireland (TFI) is advising the public to check its website for updates before travelling.
The latest update from Irish Rail, meanwhile, suggests that all trains are to operate as scheduled though any weather-related delays or cancellations will be communicated.
Keith Leonard, National Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management has urged those in areas under red alerts to “shelter in place” for the duration of the warnings.
“There’s going to be very, very violent, storm force conditions across those counties,” he said, though he added that conditions will be difficult across the country.
Speaking on Newstalk on Friday, Mr Leonard said wind will be the “real threat”, noting that speeds will be reaching orange levels across the country, “which are very severe levels of wind”.
Things are more disrupted on the high seas however, as several Irish ferry services have been cancelled on Friday and Saturday.
Irish Ferries is advising the following services will not sail:
Stena Line has also advised that none of its Dublin-Holyhead services will sail in either direction on Saturday. Several other of its services from the island of Ireland to the UK and France are also cancelled. More details can be found on their website.
So far today, Storm Darragh appears to have had minimal effect on Irish air services.
As of 4pm, Cork Airport said in a statement that three flights had been cancelled, two outbound – to Bristol and Amsterdam – and one inbound from Amsterdam.
The airport advised passengers travelling tonight or early on Saturday to seek the latest information on their flight directly from their airline and to exercise caution when travelling to and from the airport.
Some delays to arriving flights have also been reported at Ireland West airport in Co Mayo.
“We have an operational plan in place for weather warnings which details checks and actions to ensure we reduce the risk and potential safety issues towards staff, building structures and aerodrome equipment and facilities,” Ireland West said in a statement.
The Department of Social Protection has said that the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme will be available to support those whose properties are directly affected by the storm.
The scheme provides income tested financial support for people whose homes are damaged by severe weather events and who cannot meet the costs of essential repairs.
A three-stage approach to the damages in generally adopted and more details of the scheme can be found at gov.ie.
Ahead of the storm making landfall, ESB has said its “crews and partner contractors around the country have been making the necessary preparations in advance of the high winds, with teams mobilised”.
The service provider has asked customers to consider preparing their households for the event of power losses including having torches and spare batteries on hand as well as keeping your mobile phone fully charged.
Uisce Éireann has said it is putting measures in place to minimise disruption of its services to customers in areas affected by Storm Darragh.
The company has activated its emergency response process which includes the deployment of generators at key sites where power outages are likely.
“Due to the severity of the storm, it is likely that there will be some disruption to water and wastewater services in certain locations, particularly if electricity supply is affected,” it said in a statement.
Head of Water Operations with Uisce Éireann Margaret Attridge said: “While we have put contingency measures in place, such as backup generators, it is likely there will be some disruption to supplies, particularly in locations where power is out. If this happens, our crews will be deployed once it is safe to do so to restore supply as quickly as possible.”
A man makes his way along a blustery sea wall in Clontarf, Dublin on Friday, as Storm Darragh bears down on the country.
In Dublin, the weekly St Anne’s Park farmers market in Clontarf has been cancelled for this Saturday due to the orange warning in place for Dublin.
While Irish airports are yet to report any major disruption stemming from the storm, Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport has cancelled more than a hundred flights due to heavy winds caused by it, the airport, one of Europe’s main hubs, said in a statement.
Other flights have been delayed, some up to an hour.
“Due to strong winds caused by Storm Darragh, fewer flights are expected to take off and land Friday 6 December,” Schiphol said, urging passengers to take delays and cancellations into account today.
Heavy wind gusts are expected throughout most of the country on Friday morning, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute said. – Reuters
ESB Networks is highlighting the dangers posed by fallen live wires and is advising the public and the emergency services to stay away from these fallen cables and to report such cases to it immediately. ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999. The public can monitor powercheck.ie regarding power restoration times.
People are advised to ensure their mobile phone is fully charged to enable communication and also to monitor Met Éireann forecasts and/or visit met.ie for the most up to date information. Information is available across social media platforms and other news media sources.
The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), Met Éireann and other stakeholders met on Friday to discuss the approaching storm and issued the following statement this afternoon: “Storm Darragh is forecast to bring extremely strong, dangerously gusty north westerly winds.
“The public are advised to not travel in areas where a red level warning is in place and to shelter in place during these times. Essential services operators will continue to operate services, where it is safe to do so, subject to prevailing local conditions.
“A Status Yellow rain warning is also currently in place for nine counties for Friday and Saturday morning, which could lead to localised flooding in those areas.
The NDFEM is continuing to liaise with Met Éireann and is monitoring the situation. Local Authorities will also continue to monitor conditions locally with Local Authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams (SWATs) ready to respond where and when necessary.
Keith Leonard, National Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, added: “Storm Darragh is forecast to bring damaging winds and very dangerous travelling conditions. The advice to the public is not to travel at all in areas where a red warning is in place. I’m conscious that we are in Christmas party season, so it is particularly important that anyone planning a night out is aware of the forecasted conditions in their area. We are likely to see some of the most dangerous winds from 10pm tonight into the early hours.
“Travelling conditions will be very hazardous, especially for more vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high-sided vehicles.
“I would also urge the public to stay away from coastal areas during this period and to heed the appeal from the Irish Coast Guard for people to ‘Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry’.”
Bus Éireann has cancelled “a large number” of scheduled services serving counties under a red warning. The bus service apologised for any inconvenience caused, and advised customers to consult its website for further information on impacted services.
The Road Safety Authority is advising road users to avoid all travel while a red warning is in place. Extreme caution is advised when travelling in a county under an orange warning.
In counties under a status red warning, the forecaster is warning of “extremely strong and gusty” northwest wind, with a risk of fallen trees, damage to power lines, dangerous travelling conditions, structural damage to temporary structures and wave overtopping.
Keith Leonard, national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, advised the public to avoid travel in areas where a red warning is in place.
“Storm Darragh is forecast to bring damaging winds and very dangerous travelling conditions,” Mr Leonard said in a statement.
“I’m conscious that we are in Christmas party season, so it is particularly important that anyone planning a night out is aware of the forecasted conditions in their area. We are likely to see some of the most dangerous winds from 10pm tonight into the early hours.”
An orange wind warning will come into effect in Munster and Connacht (excluding red warning counties) at 8pm on Friday evening, extending to Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan two hours later. The weather warning will expire at 10am on Saturday.
The forecaster is warning of the potential impacts of the storm in the impacted counties – including fallen trees, damage to power lines, “very difficult” travelling conditions, damage to temporary structures and wave overtopping.
The UK’s Met Office has also issued an amber wind warning for all six counties in Northern Ireland, valid from 3am to 9pm on Saturday.
According to Met Éireann, the storm may bring some “severe and damaging gusts” on Friday night, reaching storm forces at times near coastal areas. Localised flooding is a risk.
A separate yellow rain warning will be in effect from 10am on Friday, impacting counties in Connacht, as well as counties Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and Clare. The warning will expire on 10am on Saturday.