FLIGHT delays, the possibility of additional flooding together with high winds are expected as Storm Eva is due to hit the country’s west coast later this Wednesday.
Met Eireann says that Storm Eva will bring spells of “extremely windy or stormy weather” this Wednesday.
Strong to gale force and blustery southerly winds will develop along the western coastal counties together with a spell heavy rain.
Counties Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary, together with parts of Connacht and Leinster have been put on a status yellow wind weather warning while an upgraded status orange is in place for counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare.
Met Eireann says that the winds and rain will moderate later tonight but temperatures are expected to drop to between 1 – 4degC.
Meantime, Limerick City and County Council has said it is installing flood defences in the Limerick City area as a precautionary measure ahead of expected High Tides and heavy rainfall during the Christmas period.
The Council says standard operating and response procedures are in place in the event of localised flooding incidents occurring.
The local authority says the flood risk, which it described as low at present, is the result of a combination of High Tides due twice daily from December 24th to 28th on the Shannon Estuary and up to Limerick City, with the possible risk of strong winds, low atmospheric pressure and higher than average rainfall for the coming days.
Meanwhile, the ESB has confirmed its decision to maintain the spill rate at Parteen Weir at 335 cubic metres per second (cumecs).
Water levels along the Lower River Shannon are continuing to drop from their peak level of Sunday (13 December 2015).
Limerick City and County Council is urging the public to exercise caution in the vicinity of waterways during the Christmas period due to forecasts of heavy rain and higher than average tides.
Flooding advice is available on www.flooding.ie. Information included on the website includes advice on identifying flooding risks, protecting property against flooding, necessary steps to be taken if a property is flooded and accessing and repairing property damaged by flooding.
