MET Éireann has issued a red wind warning for Storm Eunice for Cork and Kerry with an orange snow warning in place for Donegal

Along with the extremely strong and damaging winds, Storm Eunice will also bring spells of heavy rain and snow leading to challenging and disruptive travel conditions, Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy said.

“Early tonight strong winds, rain and sleet will move in from the south west as Storm Eunice approaches. We’re going to see winds really picking up in the early hours of Friday morning with storm force winds, heavy rain and snow leading to very challenging conditions.  We can expect to see fallen trees, damage to power lines and buildings, with hazardous driving conditions, delays and cancellations to transport.”

“We have issued a red warning for Cork and Kerry as wind speeds are expected to reach 80km/h with gusts in excess of 130km/h.  Red warnings mean weather conditions will be extremely dangerous with a significant threat to life – we’re urging people in these areas not to make unnecessary journeys and follow advice from local authorities and emergency services.

Motorists are being asked to exercise extreme caution as Storm Eunice is expected to deliver some very unsavoury conditions.

“As well as strong winds, Storm Eunice will bring heavy rain and snow and this will also lead to some challenging conditions.  An orange snow warning is in place for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon until Friday afternoon, with heavy sleet and snow leading to blizzard conditions and treacherous driving conditions.”

Wind and snow warnings are also in place for the North through tomorrow, with red and orange marine warnings in place across all Irish coastal waters with violent storm conditions at sea.

“For the most accurate and up to date forecast for your area on the island of Ireland go to met.ie. The latest weather advisories and warnings for Ireland are on the Met Éireann warnings page. These services and more are available on our free app,” Gerry Murphy added.