Significant rainfall will 'tip things over the edge' after vey wet few weeks

By Eva Osborne, James Cox, Gráinne Ní Aodha (PA)

• Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford are under a Status Orange rain warning from 12pm on Friday until 8am Saturday
• Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Meath, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford are under a Status Yellow rain warning from 9am on Friday until 9am Saturday
• Dublin, Louth, Meath, Wexford, Wicklow are under a Status Yellow wind warning from 12pm Friday until 4am Saturday

People have been warned of possible flooding overnight as Storm Claudia sweeps across Ireland.

Met Éireann said that “significant” flooding and hazardous travelling conditions are possible.

6:30pm

Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather has said rain is falling on already water-logged ground, which may "tip things over the edge".

"It's not probably out of the ordinary in its own isolated event but the problem is the rain is falling on very wet soil given how much rain we've had in recent weeks," he said.

"So, given that the land is already unfortunately flooded, this rainfall event is going to just tip things over the edge I suppose if you look at it from that point of view.

"And there is a risk of over 100ml of rain to fall on the Wicklow Mountains, and that wouldn't be something that'd be typical."

With bad flooding expected across eastern and southern counties, President of the IFA, Francie Gorman, has a message for farmers.

"I think the message to people would be, you'll have to get stuck in and just over the next couple of days, with this warning, to be careful and review every aspect of farm safety when you're out looking after the stock and working on the farm."

Blake Boland from Dublin Bus has been monitoring the situation across the network from the control room.

He has the latest on delays around the capital.

"At the moment, we're not seeing much flooding, that's not preventing the buses, the main issue is congestion at the moment," he said.

"We're going to keep an eye on that because a lot of rainfall is expected and we might see some localised surface water, which may affect buses later on as the evening moves on."

5:30pm

Dublin Airport said passengers should give themselves plenty of time to get here and urged them to take extra care on the roads.

Passengers seeking updates on specific flights should contact their airline directly, Dublin Airport said.

Uisce Éireann has said its crews are on standby across the country and ready to respond to any service disruptions caused by the extreme weather.

It said treated water reservoirs have been filled to provide additional resources, while a team is tracking developments with local county councils.

It is advising people to contact its 24/7 helpline if there is flooding from a public watermain or sewer, and to conserve water in areas where supply might be disrupted.

5pm

Keith Leonard, national director for Fire and Emergency Management, warned anyone making essential journeys this evening should be cautious.

"Darkness has come down upon us now so it makes seeing that kind of standing water on the road much more difficult," he said.

"The only real safe measure is to slow down, that's the key message we always give. And if you get into trouble, ring 999. Somebody will come and help you and provide rescue or do whatever needs to be done."

He said flooding over the next 24 hours was the main concern, and that fallen leaves clogging drains was a “complicating factor”.

He said the storm arriving from the south rather than the west would bring “the rainfall into slightly different catchments than it might normally hit”.

ESB Networks is advising people to report any damage to electricity infrastructure, and not to approach fallen lines.

Significant disruption to services is not expected, but the ESB said any faults should be reported immediately.

Earlier today

Locals in East Cork are expressing concern for their properties as up to 40mm of rain is expected to fall between now and Saturday morning.

A Level One Flood response plan has been activated with council crews on the ground and pumps available in known flooding locations.

Cork County Council Engineer Padraig Barrett said they will be closely monitoring high tide which is due around 1am.

Meanwhile, Dublin City Council said all of its flood response teams are on standby as an Orange rain warning remains in place for the city.

Crews have been deployed since 4am, with river levels on the Dodder, Camac, and Poddle being monitored closely.

Flood defence gates are currently in place along parts of the River Dodder.

The Council is working with the ESB and Uisce Éireann to lower upstream reservoirs, and says sandbags and pumps are ready to be deployed if needed.

Members of the public are being urged to keep drainage areas clear when parking and to stay away from rivers and flooded areas.

Met Éireann Meteorologist Liz Walsh said wet and windy conditions will continue until Saturday morning.

"There will be a gale force on the Irish Sea, which happens sometimes, but it's kind of an unusual direction for that to happen because most of our winds come from the west or south west.

"So, having it north easterly, it will feel a bit unusual. And it will feel cool because it's from the east and it's coming off the sea.

"It's going to feel like a cool wind, and it does feel quite cool out there today."