Widespread warnings remain in place as Storm Gerrit hits power supplies
Muireann Duffy
Storm Gerrit has caused disruptions to power supplies and localised flooding in parts of the country as a series of weather warnings remain in place for much of the country.
Homes and businesses have been left without power following high winds overnight, particularly in counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford, where an orange wind alert had been in effect.
According to ESB's PowerCheck, major outages have been reported in west Kerry, including in Kilflynn where 862 customers are estimated to be without electricity.
Parts of Cork, including Kinsale and Carrigaline, and Clare, including Ennis, Kilrush, and Ennistymon, have also been impacted by outages, as well as parts of Galway, Mayo and Wexford.
⚠️Status Yellow - Thunderstorm warning for Munster, Donegal, Connacht⚠️
Scattered thunderstorms with lightning activity expected. ⛈️
Hail possible too.
Possible impacts:
Power outages
Hazardous travelling conditions
Localised Flooding
Valid to 21:00 Thursday 28/12/2023 pic.twitter.com/HjpO2GlUQE— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 28, 2023
A yellow warning for wind and rain took effect at midnight, covering Clare, Kerry, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo.
Met Éireann warned: "Southwest to west winds will be strong and gusty at times. A combination of spring tides, large waves and strong winds may result in some coastal flooding."
That warning is due to end at 6am on Friday.
A yellow warning for thunder was also added shortly after 8am, covering Munster, Connacht and Donegal until 9pm on Thursday.
The forecaster said power outages, localised flooding and hail are possible, in addition to hazardous travel conditions.
