Violent winds are scheduled to hit Irish coasts on Thursday night as Storm Callum crosses the country, bringing gusts of up to 130km/h and the possibility of local flooding.
Met Éireann has issued a status orange weather warning for most coastal counties, which will remain in place overnight on Thursday and into Friday.
A status yellow wind warning has also been issued for counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, Roscommon, Limerick and Tipperary from midnight.
But when will the worst of the storm be hitting your local area?
10pm on Thursday
Cork and Kerry will be the first counties to experience strong gales and heavy rain, as Storm Callum begins crossing the country. The status orange weather warning comes into effect at 10pm in the southwest of the country and will remain in place until 9am on Friday. Gusts will be in access of 100km/h in this area and they will pick up in strength from 10pm. High tides will bring a risk of coastal flooding and damage. Met Éireann's own weather model suggests that the highest winds in this period will be along Iveragh and Dingle peninsulas.
Midnight
Met Éireann's status orange warning will come into effect for counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare and will last into Friday, with gusts between 100 and 130km/h expected along these coastal counties. There will be heavy rain in these areas and high tides, with a risk of coastal flooding and damage.
1am on Friday
The forecast is for high winds spreading along the west and south coasts, reaching as far as Wexford.
3am on Friday
By 3am the high winds will envelop all but the extreme northeast coasts. They will be particularly strong off the coasts of counties Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.
The UK Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning across Northern Ireland which comes into effect from 3am on Friday and will remain in place until midnight on Saturday. It warned that the gale force winds had the potential to cause some disruption and that there was a chance of injury and danger to life from flying debris. It also warned of damage to buildings during the storm and large waves on coastal areas.
5am on Friday
This period is likely to see a peak high in wind speeds along the east coast as the storm picks up through the Irish Sea. There will be high winds in Dublin from 5am to 7am, but they will then slacken off.
12pm on Friday onwards:
There may be a "sting in the tail" of Storm Callum, according to Met Éireann forecaster Siobhan Ryan. The status orange weather warning will extend until 5pm on Friday in the western counties of Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare.
“The winds may ease off initially but they could pick up in strength again,” Ms Ryan said. “There may be a core swathe of further strong winds, but there is a question mark over that.
“We are urging people to keep in touch with the forecast. The status orange warning may be reinstated for the latter part of Friday over parts of the south and east too. It will be extremely wet and windy.
“There is heavy rain with the wind. The first pulse of rain will fall overnight. It will bring locally wet weather. Later in the day on Friday, because of the trailing weather system which is linked to the eye of Storm Callum, it [the storm] is going to meander east and west across the Irish Sea. It will spew up some further pulses of rain. These wave features bring a high degree of uncertainty as regards to exact totals.”
Safety
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has urged road users to exercise extreme caution when using the roads on Thursday night and Friday morning. Drivers are advised never to attempt to drive through flooded roads and to heed any warnings of detours that are in place.
The RSA is also calling on road users to beware of objects being blown out onto the road; to watch out for fallen debris on the road and vehicles veering across the road; to be aware that control of a vehicle may be affected by strong crosswinds; to allow extra space between vehicles and vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists, and to drive with dipped headlights at all times.
Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are advised to wear bright clothing with reflective armbands or a reflective belt and to take extra care when crossing the road or cycling as a strong gust of wind could blow them into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
