Storm Boelo warnings issued across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
Amber and orange alerts cover parts of the island this weekend, with forecasters warning of damaging winds, heavy rain and possible flooding.
Storm Boelo has prompted new weather warnings across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for Saturday and Sunday, 24–25 October. The Met Office has issued an amber wind warning for counties Antrim and Londonderry, while Met Éireann has issued orange warnings for heavy rain in Kerry and wind in five western and northwestern counties. Forecasters warn of flooding, fallen trees and disruption to travel and power supplies.
When the Northern Ireland wind warnings apply
The amber warning for Antrim and Londonderry runs from 21:00 BST on Saturday until 21:00 GMT on Sunday, after the clocks change. A yellow warning covers all of Northern Ireland from 10:00 BST on Saturday until 12:00 GMT on Sunday, the BBC reported.
The Met Office forecast gusts of up to 70mph widely and 80mph in exposed coastal areas. The BBC also reported a risk of disruption from gusts of up to 75mph elsewhere in Northern Ireland. These figures describe forecast conditions, with coastal areas facing the strongest winds.
Orange rain and wind warnings in the Republic
Met Éireann’s orange rain warning for Kerry runs from 07:00 to 14:00 on Saturday. The forecaster warned of very heavy rain, possible flooding and damage to property, according to the BBC. An orange wind warning covers Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo from 14:00 on Saturday until 09:00 on Sunday, The Journal reported.
A yellow rain warning covers Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo and Sligo from 04:00 to 15:00 on Saturday. Yellow wind warnings also cover Connacht, Clare, Kerry and Limerick from 13:00 on Saturday until 12:00 on Sunday, and Donegal from 13:00 on Saturday until 15:00 on Sunday, according to the BBC.
Why forecasters warn of further disruption
The warnings follow Storm Austen, which hit Ireland overnight before conditions began to ease on Friday morning. The Journal reported that council crews were responding to local flooding. The Irish Times reported that about 3,000 properties were without power after Austen and that Bus Éireann had cancelled some services. Those were effects of the earlier storm, not Storm Boelo.
The Irish Times reported that Met Éireann warned of trees falling, damage to already weakened structures and power lines, possible outages, large coastal waves and dangerous conditions at sea during the next storm. Heavy rain may also make travel difficult and cause local flooding, according to the forecaster’s warning carried by the newspaper.
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Sources and context
- NI weather: Warnings in place ahead of Storm BoeloBBC News NI
- Status Orange warnings issued for six counties on Saturday as Storm Boelo takes overThe Journal
- Storm Boelo latest: Ireland braces for ‘damaging’ second storm as Met Éireann issues new orange warningsThe Irish Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.