Weather alert issued for Kilkenny as Storm Bert approaches

The country has been warned to brace for the incoming Storm Bert as Met Éireann issued a series of weather warnings that will continue into the weekend.

It comes after snow and ice left parts of the country resembling a winter wonderland yesterday as the Arctic conditions forced some schools to close, left commuters facing travel misery and thousands of homes without power.

The national forecaster issued a Status Yellow wind and rain warning for Kilkenny and the rest of the country in advance of Storm Bert’s arrival amid fears of localised flooding, fallen trees and travel disruption.

The alert will remain in place from 10pm tonight until noon tomorrow as motorists face three days of travel warnings.

Among these is a Status Orange warning in place for three counties on Friday night into Saturday morning, when heavy rain could cause serious flooding.

The warning for Cork, Kerry and Galway is in place from midnight until 10am tomorrow, with predictions of “intense falls of rain over a short period of time” that could result in surface flooding, possible river flooding and difficult travelling conditions.

Temperatures plummeted close to -5C as snowfalls reached up to 20cm in some parts of Munster and Connacht yesterday amid warnings Storm Bert will now strike Ireland this evening, bringing heavy rain and powerful gusts of up to 110kph.

And Met Éireann warned the country will just be recovering from the Arctic snap when the second Atlantic storm of the season will arrive, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds and the potential to bring down trees and cause further disruption to power supplies.

Storm Bert – named by Met Éireann – will strengthen as it approaches the UK with the prospect of winds proving even more damaging over northern England and Scotland.

A forecaster said Storm Bert would bring “milder but very wet and windy conditions for the weekend”.

“Heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday will likely lead to localised flooding in urban areas and some river catchments, particularly in the west and southwest, as this rain is falling on already saturated and waterlogged ground,” they said.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and will upgrade/issue warnings as Met Éireann’s high resolution model is analysed.

“The impacts from Storm Bert will commence later on Friday and will continue through the weekend and potentially through early next week as well.”

Met Éireann advised the public to stay away from coastal areas, ensure their mobile phones are fully charged, keep local emergency numbers at hand and don’t try to walk, cycle or drive through flooded areas as the depth of the water can be deceiving