Met Éireann safety code for Status Red Storm Darragh

Met Éireann says Storm Darragh will bring strong and gusty south to southwest winds on Friday afternoon across Ireland.

While the winds will veer northwest and intensify on Friday night in the southwest, west and northwest of the country, but also in parts of the southeast in the early hours of Saturday, before clearing over to the UK.

With Status Red, Orange and Yellow alerts issued, the forecaster has urged to public to take a SAFETY FIRST approach as the storm collides with Ireland.

Met Éireann code on HOW TO STAY SAFE IN EXTREME WEATHER 

• Stay up-to date with the forecast and the warnings for your county on met.ie, the Met Éireann app or Met Éireann socials (@meteireann).   
• Check in with your local authority and emergency management stakeholders (Irish Coast Guards, Gardaí, etc) via their websites and social channels to see how your area will be/is affected.  
• Ensure your mobile is phone is fully charged to enable communication in advance of the event and keep local emergency numbers in your phone.  
• Keep a small amount of food, medical and water supplies in case it’s dangerous to step out of the home.  
• While on the road in strong winds, beware of fallen trees or other debris and high sided vehicles, particularly when overtaking. If you are driving a high sided vehicle, try to anticipate exposed sections of roadway where winds will be stronger.    
• ESB Networks is highlighting the dangers posed by fallen live wires and advises the public and the emergency services to stay away from fallen cables and to report such cases immediately.  ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999.  
•  You can monitor www.powercheck.ie in regards to power restoration times .
• Stay away from coastal areas during the period. Remember the advice from the Irish Coast Guard: “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”.    
• Don’t try to walk, cycle or drive through flooded areas, the depth of the water can be deceiving.   
• Remember: As little as 150mm of fast-flowing water can knock you off your feet and 300mm of fast-flowing water can move most cars off the road.  
•  Advance planning for flooding: You can consult the OPW flood maps, which show areas that may be at risk of flooding based on historical data (see www.floodinfo.ie).   
• “Be Winter Ready”: All these recommendations and more are on  gov.ie – Be Winter Ready www.gov.ie

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Status Red ⚠️

Wind warning for Mayo
Valid: 22:00 Fri 06/12 to 03:00 Sat 07/12

Wind warning for Clare, Galway
Valid: 22:00 Fri 06/12 to 02:00 Sat 07/12

Wind warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo
Valid: 23:00 Fri 06/12 to 03:00 Sat 07/12https://t.co/dz6JbE5FIb#StormDarragh pic.twitter.com/g0vHbrg9zo

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 6, 2024

The forecaster says its warnings are likely to be updated through the Storm and urges the public to keep in touch with Met Éireann’s social media channels www.met.ie and the Met Éireann app to stay up to date with the forecast and any warnings updates.  

It adds that the timing and location of extreme weather occurrences can significantly affect their impact.  Met Éireann also says it’s important to note that in any individual weather event, not every location within a warning area may experience the same degree of weather or impacts. 

The forecaster says that when severe weather is expected, weather and impacts at lower levels are also likely to be experienced. The type and level of impacts can be strongly affected by previous weather conditions. When issuing a warning, Met Éireann says it takes into consideration the forecasted conditions and thresholds, as well as previous weather conditions that may increase the level of impact expected for particular areas.