Met Éireann warns people to 'be prepared' for Storm Imelda spawned by Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda

Met Éireann has warned people in Laois and the rest of Ireland to be prepared for Storm Amy which could cause flooding, knock trees, lead to flying debris and cause difficult driving conditions. 

Met Éireann says Storm Amy, which was named by the Met Office in the UK, will bring strong south-westerly winds across Ireland plus more spells of heavy rain to Ireland on Friday.

The forecaster, which has already issued Status Yellow and Orange weather alerts, says Amy is the result of very unsettled Atlantic weather due to hurricanes Humberto and Imelda.

It says this unsettled situation is fuelling a strong jet stream and creating the conditions for a new, complex, low-pressure system to develop. This low-pressure system, named Storm Amy, will undergo rapid deepening on Friday when it interacts with the jet stream, bringing strong winds to Ireland then.

“Storm Amy will bring wet and very windy conditions on Friday, and it’s preceded by a band of heavy rain on Thursday. It is the first storm of the season so it’s essential to be prepared for potential impacts caused by the strong winds and the rain. There could be difficult travelling conditions, loose objects or flying debris.

"Trees are still in leaf at this time of the year, so there could be higher impacts from fallen trees and leaves blocking drains, causing localised flooding. Small, upland river catchments are the most at risk of flooding, so precautions for potential localised flooding in these areas are also important," she said.

Ms Hankinson said Met Éireann will provide updates of the situation as the certainty in the storm track and its intensity increases, so stay up to date with the warnings on met.ie, our app or our socials.

Complicating the situation is the day of heavy rain expected on Thursday before Amy hits.  A Status Orange rain warning has been declared for Kerry with a Status Yellow rain alert in place for for Cavan, Donegal, Munster, Connacht, Longford.

A Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for Friday but Met Éireann says the wind warnings could be extended into Saturday for parts of the north west. The warnings will be updated as new model runs are analysed and certainty increases.

Met Éireann outlines the MAIN IMPACTS of Amy BELOW TWEET:

• Impacts will start to be felt on Thursday due to the heavy rainfall and will continue through Friday, and potentially Saturday for parts of the country:
• Localised flooding, the heavy rain will fall on already saturated grounds, with river levels increasing. Smaller upland catchments in the South-West and West are at the greatest risk of flooding, as mountainous areas are currently forecasted to see the greater rainfall accumulations.
• Difficult or dangerous travelling conditions
• Debris, displaced objects
• Fallen trees
• Surface water flooding, as the ground is saturated countrywide.
• Trees are in leaf so fallen leaves and other debris may block drains and small rivers, increasing the risk of surface water flooding.
• Isolated spray overtopping: even if we’re in a period of neap tides, strong onshore winds and significant waves from Storm
• Amy may cause isolated spray overtopping at times of high tide along the West coast.

Met Éireann says it is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updated information as required, as new model runs are analysed.

READ ALSO: Met Éireann issues Status Orange

Storm Amy is the first named storm of the 2024/25 storm season.