Updated 1.05pm
A STATUS YELLOW weather warning that kicked in yesterday will remain in place until Tuesday.
“A combination of a vigorous Atlantic weather system and the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia will pass close to Ireland on Monday, and has the potential to be a high impact event in parts of the country.
“There is a lot of uncertainty as to the exact evolution and movement of this weather system during the coming four days, but storm force winds, outbreaks of heavy rain and very high seas are threatened,” Met Éireann says.
The hurricane will be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it passes Ireland.
The weather advisory came into effect at 2pm yesterday and is set to remain in place until 6am on Tuesday.
On foot of the weather warning, AA Ireland has advised motorists to prepare for hazardous driving conditions in the coming days.
“Whether Ireland feels the full force of Ophelia or not it’s important for motorists to prepare themselves for the worst. Stormy conditions are a real danger as not only do gale force winds make maintaining control of the vehicle more difficult, but heavy rainfall can also greatly increase your stopping distance,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs, warned.
“For example, a car travelling at 120kph can take more than 170 metres to come to a stop in wet and windy conditions. This kind of weather can also really impact on a driver’s visibility so it’s important to drive with extra caution and be on the lookout for vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians who opt to brave the stormy conditions,” Faughnan added.
Forecast
It’s expected to be mostly cloudy today with occasional outbreaks of rain and drizzle, which will be heavy in places – especially in Connacht and Ulster this morning.
Met Éireann says it’ll be misty in many areas, with hill and coastal fog. It’s also expected to be very mild. Maximum temperatures will range from 16 to 19 degrees Celsius.
Tonight is set to start off mainly dry in the west and north. Otherwise, it’ll be mostly overcast and misty, with patches of rain and drizzle, moving gradually northwards to all areas by tomorrow morning.
Lowest temperatures will range from 10 to 15 degrees. It’ll be coldest in the west and north.
Weekend
Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy and misty at first, with patches of rain and drizzle. Many areas will become dry during the day with some bright or sunny spells – mainly in the midlands and east.
However, Met Éireann says patches of rain, drizzle and fog will persist in some places, mainly along south, west and northwest coasts. It’ll be very mild in many areas, especially in the east, with highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees.
Tomorrow night will be cloudy and misty, with patches of rain and drizzle persistent at times along some southern, western and northwestern coasts. Most other areas are expected to have good dry periods. Lowest temperatures will range from 12 to 15 degrees.
Rain will be persistent and locally heavy at times in parts of Connacht, west Ulster and west Munster on Sunday.
It’s expected to be very patchy elsewhere and many other areas will be dry, though with a good deal of cloud.
Mist and fog will persist in some hilly and coastal areas, especially along south, west and northwest coasts. Again, it’ll be very mild with highest temperatures ranging from 16 to 19 degrees.
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