Thousands without power across the country as Storm Gerrit makes landfall
Garrylucas Weather Cork Picture: During Near Sea At Sweeney Raging Co Kinsale, Noel Stormy
Thousands of households are without power this evening as Storm Gerrit makes landfall.
In Wexford, almost 1,500 households were affected following intense lightning activity along the south eastern coast, but ESB Networks say almost 800 of these have now been restored.
With an orange wind warning in effect for counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford, ESB Networks posted details of a number of faults in West Cork earlier which left several hundred people without power.
But it posted details of several major faults in Wexford in the last hour, with almost 1,200 people without power in Wexford town alone, and several hundred more without power between Rosslare and Kilmore.
The power faults coincide with areas where intense lightning has been reported in the last hour.
Thunder and lightning has also been reported in some areas of Cork City and county this evening, and according to the ESB's PowerCheck, 202 customers have been affected in Kilmoney, 68 in Carrigaline, and 48 in Timoleague.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the ESB said: "We apologise for the loss of supply. We are currently working to repair a fault affecting your premises and will restore power as quickly as possible."
“Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me…😳😱⛈️⚡️⚡️⚠️. #StormGerrit really ramping up along #Courtmacsherrry Bay & Seven Heads Peninsula & Old Head of #Kinsale in #WestCork , #Ireland with non-stop ‘very intense’ #thunderstorms !! 😱🌀🌪️ ⚡️⚡️💥⚠️ #thunderstorm… pic.twitter.com/TF1O6IRPJB
— Alan Mac Cárthaigh 🇮🇪 (@AlanMcC82) December 27, 2023
In Skibbereen, in West Cork, the river Ilen burst its banks, flooding hundreds of acres of farmland north of the town. But thanks to its flood defences, the town remained dry.
The severe weather, which saw gusts of up to 100kph in places, also hit flight schedules, with delays to several flights in and out of both Cork and Shannon Airports.
At Shannon, two Aer Lingus afternoon flights due in from Heathrow were delayed, leading to knock-on delays to two later departures to Heathrow, with one Ryanair flight due in from Budapest also delayed.
High winds at Cork Airport forced at least three flights to divert by 11pm.
A Ryanair flight due in from Lanzarote just before 10pm diverted to Shannon Airport after the pilots kept their aircraft in a holding pattern for almost a half an hour to the north west of Cork City waiting for the winds to abate.
Later, a KLM flight due in Cork from Amsterdam diverted to Dublin, while another Ryanair flight from Tenerife diverted to Shannon. One pilot described conditions on approach to Cork as "sporting".
Elsewhere, Stena Line has cancelled its 8pm sailing from Rosslare to Cherbourg, and the 7:30pm from Rosslare to Fishguard due to "adverse weather conditions on the Irish Sea."
The ferry line has apologised to customers for the inconvenience, and advised that the next available departure for Cherbourg will be Thursday at 8pm.
The warning for Cork, Kerry, Clare, Waterford and Wexford came into effect at 5pm and remains in place until midnight on Thursday.
Met Éireann says coastal flooding is likely with "strong and very gusty westerly winds" which will reach storm, or near storm force, for a time this evening.
The warning is one of three that has been issued by Met Éireann as Storm Gerrit comes into force.
According to Cork County Council, West Cork and the Beara Peninsula will experience "storm force winds with violent gusts" for a time this evening, particularly between 6pm and 8pm.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter this evening, the council urged everyone to "please take extreme care."
West Cork, and the Beara Peninsula, will experience storm force winds with violent gusts for a time this evening, particularly between the hours of 6-8pm. Please take extreme care. pic.twitter.com/ZEb3cj0o3r
— Cork County Council (@Corkcoco) December 27, 2023
The council's severe weather assessment team met this morning in response to the weather warnings.
Response crews and contractors have been put on notice and are on standby.
Sandbags and pumps have been deployed while crews also remain on standby in areas known to be affected by coastal flood events.
The council also went on to advise road users to be aware of the danger posed by high winds.
"Driving conditions will be hazardous with falling trees and surface flooding possible. Motorists are advised to drive with caution during heavy rain, not to drive through flood waters and be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians.
"Property owners, residents and visitors are advised to take necessary precautions, to protect property and to avoid unnecessary journeys," a statement read.
According to the council, the forecasted conditions may give rise to localised power outages.
The council says that rolling road closures are also in effect.
~EARLY CLOSING ~
— Fota Wildlife Park (@fotawildlife) December 27, 2023
Due to the upcoming Orange Weather warning, we will close earlier than planned.
Last entry is now 2pm we will close at 3pm.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused & are contacting all bookings.
Please only travel to Fota Wildlife Park if safe to do so. pic.twitter.com/LRwpyDV8mw
Elsewhere, Fota Wildlife Park was forced to close at 3pm today due to the impending weather conditions.
Last entry at the park was at 2pm.
Meanwhile, a nationwide status yellow wind and rain warning has been in place since 8pm on Tuesday and will remain until midnight on Thursday.
"Very strong and gusty southwesterly winds in conjunction with spring tides, may lead to coastal flooding," said Met Éireann.
"Squally showers, with a chance of thunderstorms, may lead to localised flooding."
On Thursday, a third weather warning will impact Clare, Kerry, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo. The status yellow wind warning will see "southwest winds veering westerly" which will be strong and gusty at times.
"A combination of spring tides, large waves and strong winds may result in some coastal flooding."
That warning is in place from midnight until 6am on Friday.
More generally on Wednesday, there will be some sunny spells but some intense squally showers, with hail, will move in across the country on a brisk southwest flow.
Met Éireann said: "This evening will become increasingly windy or even stormy as [a] swathe of strong to gale force westerly winds, associated with Storm Gerrit, moves in across the country."
Wednesday night will be "very windy or stormy across most areas", with some coastal flooding likely in the west and southwest.
Thursday will be "a rather windy day with sunny spells and showers", most frequent across Connacht and Ulster where showers will possibly turn wintry.
Friday will again see sunny spells and scattered blustery showers while Saturday be windy with sunny spells and wintry showers. Sunday is shaping up to be a calmer day with sunny spells and well-scattered showers.
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.