Storm Bram: Island of Ireland warned to brace for strong winds

Status orange wind warnings have been announced for 11 counties in the Republic of Ireland, with the entire island facing other weather advisories.

Storm Bram is to bring very strong winds, high coastal water levels, and periods of heavy rainfall to Ireland from late on Monday night through until Tuesday.

After a week of persistent rain, Irish forecasting agency Met Eireann said soils across the country are already highly saturated and many rivers are approaching bank full conditions, so any additional rainfall is likely to result in surface and river flooding from Tuesday.

Forecasters said Storm Bram will bring very strong to gale force southerly winds as they announced a status yellow wind warning for the entirety of the Republic.

It said this would bring difficult travel conditions and flying debris between 3am and 9pm on Tuesday.

Two separate status orange wind warnings are in place for very strong to gale force winds in coastal counties.

The first warning – for Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford – is in place between 7am and 3pm on Tuesday.

The second warning – for Clare, Limerick, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo – will be in effect between 10am and 6pm.

Met Eireann advises that both carry the potential impacts of flooding of low-lying coastal areas, wave overtopping, difficult travel conditions, and impacts to outdoor events.

Meteorologist Matthew Martin said: “Flooding impacts are expected as the rain will fall on already saturated ground and many rivers are currently approaching bank full conditions.

“We are in a period of high astronomical tides, which will coincide with the strong, potentially onshore winds, so coastal flooding is likely.

“We echo the well-known advice of the Irish Coast Guard: ‘Stay back, stay high, stay dry’.”

In addition, a status yellow rain warning will be in place between 9pm on Monday and 9am on Tuesday with heavy rain falling on already saturated ground in Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford.

In Northern Ireland, the UK Met Office has announced a status yellow wind warning for the entire region between 9am and 9pm on Tuesday.

The predicted poor weather has resulted in the closure of the Belfast Christmas Market on Tuesday.

Organisers said: “We recognise this may be disappointing, however the safety of our visitors and traders is of the utmost importance. At the moment the plan is to reopen on Wednesday December 10, however this is weather dependent.”

The Met Office advised the public to expect delays to transport services and further warned that cancellations are possible. It added that there was a chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris, as well as damage to buildings and power outages.

Forecasters said gusts of around 50-60 mph are possible fairly widely across the region, and potentially in excess of 70mph for some exposed headlands and areas of high ground.