Met Éireann has issued two wind warnings for strong and damaging gusts ahead of Storm Dudley's arrival by the middle of this week.
The national forecaster this morning (Monday, February 14, 2022) issued two separate alerts for Wednesday and Thursday (February 16 and 17).
A status orange wind warning will come into place for Donegal from 9:00p.m on Wednesday and will remain valid until 9:00a.m on Thurday.
Met Éireann has said that westerly winds associated with the storm will reach mean speeds of 65 to 80km/h. There could be damaging gusts of 100 to 130km/h on higher ground and in coastal areas.
The forecaster said that there could be some coastal flooding due to the combination of high tides and strong winds.
The second of the two wind warnings has been issued for several western counties. A status yellow wind warning has been issued for Clare, Galway and Mayo.
It will see the westerly winds hit mean speeds of 50 to 60km/h with damaging gusts of 80 to 110km/h again in exposed coastal parts and on high ground.
There could also be coastal flooding in these counties as a result of high tides and strong winds.
This warning is valid from midday on Wednesday to midday on Thursday. The warning will apply to Donegal when the orange warning has been lifted.
Met Éireann has said that it will further update the warnings tomorrow (Tuesday, February 15).
Wind warnings
Meanwhile, the UK Met Office has issued an amber wind warning for Antrim and Derry which is valid from 6:00p.m on Wednesday to 9:00a.m on Thursday.
A yellow wind warning will come into force at 3:00p.m on Wednesday for all of Northern Ireland and will remain in place until 6:00p.m on Thursday.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has urged all road users to exercise caution while the weather warnings are in place and to check local conditions before making a journey.
The RSA said that strong cross winds can affect the control of a vehicle, adding that high sided vehicles and motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to strong gusts.
Road users are being reminded to expect debris on routes and to not to attempt to drive through flood waters, which could be deeper than expected.
Drivers are asked to reduce their speed, use dipped headlights and increase the distance between their cars and cyclists and motorcyclists.
Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists in areas covered by the orange weather alert are asked to considering postponing their journey until conditions improve.
If you have to travel, wear bright reflective clothing to ensure that you are visible at all times.
