Met Éireann issues orange and yellow wind warnings as Storm Ashley set to hit Ireland

A status orange wind warning has been issued for Galway and Mayo, while a nationwide status yellow warning has also been issued.

For the orange warning, Met Éireann said Storm Ashley "will bring very strong and gusty southerly winds, coupled with high spring tides".

It will be in place from midday until 9pm on Sunday. 

This is likely to lead to coastal flooding, large coastal waves, loose objects displaced, fallen trees, and very difficult travelling conditions, as well as damage to power lines, power outages, and damage to other structures.

From 6am Sunday until midnight, every other county will be under a status yellow wind warning.

⚠️Status Yellow Wind Warning Updated⚠️

Area: Ireland #StormAshley will bring strong and gusty south to southwest winds🌬️, coupled with high spring tides🌊.

Valid: 06:00 Sunday 20/10 to 00:00 Monday 21/10

Full details⬇️https://t.co/cmHvlI0GRs pic.twitter.com/4jHWq4JnkJ

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 18, 2024

Again, Met Éireann says the storm is likely to lead to coastal flooding, fallen trees and branches, the displacement of loose objects, and difficult driving and cycling conditions.

Since Thursday morning, the whole country has been under a weather advisory for flooding due to "exceptionally high supermoon spring tides". That advisory will remain in place until midnight on Sunday.

Weekend forecast 

On Friday night, any lingering rain in the east will quickly clear, giving way to a generally dry night with clear spells and just a few showers, mainly across the western half of the country. Temperatures tonight will fall back to around 6C to 9C.

Saturday is expected to be mainly dry and bright, with just a few passing showers. However, cloud will build from the south through the afternoon before rain develops in the southwest during the evening. Temperatures on Saturday will range from 12C to 15C.

Saturday night will see "heavy rain" extend nationwide and strong "winds will develop along with gales at the coast".

Overall, Sunday will be a very windy day, with rain forecast to clear quickly to the northeast followed by sunny spells and blustery showers.

Met Éireann says that “more persistent rain will return to some western and northern areas during the afternoon with a few thunderstorms possible”.

The forecaster added: "There'll be the ongoing risk of coastal flooding due to a combination of high seas and spring tides."

Conditions will remain very windy into Sunday night, and there will be some clear spells and scattered blustery showers.

Why do we name storms? 

In the summer, Met Éireann announced the list of new storm names for the 2024/2025 storm season, which began on September 1 and runs until August next year. 

The full list of storm names are: Ashley, Bert, Conall, Darragh, Éowyn, Floris, Gerben, Hugo, Izzy, James, Kayleigh, Lewis, Mavis, Naoise, Otje, Poppy, Rafi, Sayuri, Tilly, Vivienne, and Wren.

The head of the forecasting division in Met Éireann, Eoin Sherlock, explained how the naming of storms benefits the public.

“Our key priority is to help protect life and property from extreme weather and ensure the safety of our communities. Year after year, storm-naming proves effective for that.

"Naming each storm increases the level of public safety and preparedness as people are more likely to remember and respond to warnings when storms are named."

Storm-naming happens in conjunction with orange/red weather warnings, which could be for wind, rain or snow or a combination of these conditions.

Those warnings are, in turn, issued based on a combination of numerical thresholds and the potential impacts foreseen.

Since 2015, Met Éireann and the UK Met Office have been working together on the naming programme and were joined by the Netherlands’ KNMI in 2019.