MET ÉIREANN HAS issued three national weather warnings for counties across Ireland, with huge winds forecast as Storm Gertrude hits Irish shores.

A Status Orange wind warning has been issued for counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Dublin, Longford, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford.

Winds will increase to anywhere between 65 to 80 km/h overnight with gusts of 110 to 130 km/h expected.

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, Limerick and Tipperary with wind speeds of 50 to 65 km/h overnight and gusts of 100 to 110 km/h at times.

The weather warnings are set to come into effect from 12:01am tonight.

The high winds have led to Met Éireann issuing a Weather Advisory alert for Ireland. From the Met Éireann website:

A rapidly deepening Atlantic depression will pass to the north of Scotland during Friday. It will bring a swathe of severe winds across Ireland, Scotland and northern England through Thursday night and Friday.

It’s set to rain tonight as well, with scattered outbreaks of rain or drizzle becoming more persistent as the night wears on. But it doesn’t look like the heavy rains of previous storms will be a feature.

A separate Status Orange marine warning is also in effect since 5pm this evening.

Warnings – roads

The weather alerts have prompted the gardaí, the Road Safety Authority and numerous local councils to warn people to stay safe on roads and coastal areas throughout the country.

The Road Safety Authority of Ireland told motorists to watch out for debris being blown onto the roads.

The authority has also warned drivers to:

• Allow extra space around vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists as they may be blown off course by strong winds.
  
• Use dipped headlights at all times of poor visibility not parking/side lights or fog lights.

It has also warned pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists to:

• Take extra care when crossing the road and when cycling in traffic as a sudden gust of wind could blow you into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
•  Make sure you are seen. Wear bright clothing with reflective armbands or a reflective belt.
• Walk on a footpath, not in the street. Walk on the right hand side of the road, facing traffic if there are no footpaths.

AA Roadwatch has also issued a warning to motorists on their website – telling people to stay safe.

Warnings – councils

Meanwhile, local councils across the country have issued their own warnings, echoing those of the road safety providers:

Tomorrow

The weather warnings will be in place until 9am tomorrow.

Winds will remain quite strong throughout the morning but will die down by afternoon. It will turn colder then – with some hail showers expected for the north and the west and highest afternoon temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees.

Stay safe out there.

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