Yellow warning as Storm Ciarán to bring heavy rain and wind to West Cork

A YELLOW rain warning has been issued for Cork ahead of the arrival of Storm Ciarán later today.

The storm is due to pass close to the coast of West Cork tonight and into Thursday morning, with the weather warning active from 7pm this evening until 7am tomorrow morning.

According to Met Éireann, the storm will track eastwards close to the south coast of Ireland and bring a spell of heavy rain with strong and gusty northeast winds, gradually backing northwesterly overnight.

Cork County Council have issued a statement to say that crews are on standby in several known risk locations across the county.

'Crews are currently clearing inlets and gullies,' the statement reads. ' Sandbags and pumping arrangements will be in place in known problem locations.

'Members of the public are advised to stay high, stay dry and stay back from the coast, rivers and lakes.  With strong gusts and high waves predicted, people are urged to refrain from visiting coastal areas.

'The Council is asking members of the public to exercise extreme caution as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface and flash flooding possible. Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain.

'Strong winds can make driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, eg, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles. Road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris as trees are in full leaf and never drive through flooded roads as the depth of the water can be deceiving.

'Members of the public are advised to prepare for the arrival of the storm including ensuring their mobile phone is fully charged to enable communication.

Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain are already in place in Kerry, which will bring strong and very gusty westerly winds along with heavy rain which could lead to localised flooding, difficult travel conditions and poor visibility.

The storm will be unwelcome news for locals who have had to deal with flooding in the past week caused by spring tides which affected areas across West Cork.

Houses in Ballinhassig are still recovering following flooding which occurred during Storm Babet.

Forecasted conditions may give rise to localised power outages. In the event of disruption to power supply, contact ESB Networks at 1800 372 999 or visit www.PowerCheck.ie in regards to power restoration time.

In the event of disruption to water supply, contact Uisce Éireann at 1800 278 278.

Flooding and road damage should be reported to your local Council office during working hours (9am to 5pm). Outside working hours, the Council can be contacted via its emergency out of hours number (021) 4800048.