CLARE is braced for a red weather warning for storm Éowyn this Friday as dangerous weather conditions are expected.
Winds of up to 130km/h are predicted during the storm which will last from 3am to 12 noon Friday according to Met Éireann. The warning carries with it “extremely dangerous travelling conditions” as well as risks of “danger to life” and “wave overtopping”.
Power outages are also expected as a result of the storm, similar to those experienced in Clare during the extreme wind experienced from the 19th to the 22nd of December 2024, during which homes and businesses were left without power and water for days.
Founder of Irish Weather Online, Mark Dunphy, says, “The rapid development is driven by the Jetstream – a fast, narrow current of
air flowing from west to east – which has been energised by the deep pool of cold air over the United States that brought a foot of snow as far south as New Orleans and the Louisiana coastline during Tuesday. It will take only 48 hours for the system to make the 3,500+ mile journey towards Ireland and Britain”.
The red warning initially included Kerry, Cork and Limerick as the south-west of Ire- land will bear the brunt of the storm with “gale force southerly winds becoming westerly”, bringing “severe, damaging and destructive gusts of 130km/h”. The red warning was updated yesterday to include a further 18 counties.
Closures for schools in Clare have already been confirmed as a result of the storm. A status orange warning is in place for the entire country that will remain in place until 5pm. Storm Éowyn will not be welcome news to many in Clare who have experienced extreme disruption in December and January as a result of high winds, excessive rainfall and heavy snow- fall at the start of this month that left people in Mullagh and Cratloe trapped in their homes for up to a week.
The public should monitor Met Éireann on www. met.ie for updates in the coming days.
