Flooding in Bantry as high tide advisory in place

SPOT flooding occurred in Bantry this afternoon, with spring tides and a supermoon having the potential to cause more over the weekend.

Met Éireann has issued a issued a high tide advisory covering the period from Friday morning to Monday evening with coastal levels expected to be 'high' for southern coasts on Saturday.

A period of supermoon spring tides, expected to be one of the highest during 2024, are the primary driver for the elevated and high coastal levels over the weekend.

Spring tides occur twice per month during full or new moons — when the Earth, sun, and moon are nearly in alignment. This means average tidal ranges are slightly larger. When combined with a supermoon, which is when a full Moon occurs at the closest point to Earth during its orbit, these spring tides are higher than usual.

Cork County Council have deployed pumps in Bantry this evening, and are on standby for any future flooding.

Property owners and residents at known coastal risk locations are advised to take the usual necessary precautions.

Issues such as flooding and road damage should be reported to your local county council office during working hours (9am to 5pm), details of which can be found by visiting the local area office webpage.

Outside working hours, contact Cork County Council via its emergency out of hours number 0214800048.

Meanwhile, Cork city is bracing itself for a weekend of high tides, with business along the quays in the city centre preparing for potential flooding.

The high tides are predicted to cause minor localised flooding at Morrison’s Quay, Mathew Quay, Mathew Street, Union Quay, Trinity Bridge and South Terrace.