Storm Eowyn to shut down Offaly as Met Eireann issues Red Warning and warns of danger to life

Almost all of Ireland is now under a Status Red Wind Warning from Met Eireann for various times on Friday as the very powerful Storm Eowyn stalks the country. 

Met Eireann has issued a series of top level Status Red Weather Warnings for Ireland that start coming into effect at 2am on Friday in the South West of the country and will be in place across the country until much later on Friday.

The Red Weather Warning for Offaly comes into effect at 6am on Friday and will be in place until noon.

Red Weather Warnings pose a danger to life and are only issued for rare and very dangerous weather conditions from intense meteorological phenomena. Met Eireann says people should be prepared for 'exceptional measures'.

A Status Red Wind warning for Cork, Kerry and Limerick is currently in place from 2am to 10am on Friday. 

A Status Red Wind warning for Clare and Galway is in place from 3am on Friday until noon on Friday.

A Status Red Wind warning for Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo is in place from 4am on Friday until noon on Friday.

A Status Red Wind warning for Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Roscommon and Tipperary is in place from 6am on Friday until noon on Friday. 

A Status Red Wind warning for Donegal is in place from 6am on Friday until 3pm on Friday.

For each warning Met Eireann is warning that gale to storm force southerly winds becoming westerly will bring severe, damaging and extremely destructive gusts in excess of 130km/h

Impacts from Storm Eowyn include

• Danger to life
• Extremely dangerous travelling conditions
• Unsafe working conditions
• Disruption and cancellations to transport
• Many fallen trees
• Significant and widespread power outages
• Impacts to communications networks
• Cancellation of event
• Structural damage
• Wave overtopping
• Coastal flooding in low-lying and exposed areas

There is also Status Orange Wind Warning for all of Ireland from 2am on Friday until 5pm on Friday.

Met Eireann is warning that Storm Éowyn will bring gale force southerly winds becoming westerly will bring severe, damaging and destructive gusts of up to 130km/h widely, with even higher gusts for a time.

Potential impacts are

Fallen trees
Damage to power lines and power outages
Structural damage
Very difficult travelling conditions
Disruption and cancellations to transport
Wave overtopping

Keep up to date with all the latest weather warnings from Met Eireann here

STORM EOWYN: Track the path of powerful Storm Eowyn as it bears down on Ireland

STORM EOWYN: Track the path of powerful Storm Eowyn as it bears down on Ireland