Thousands of customers have been left without electricity as Storm Kathleen continues to sweep across the island of Ireland.
An orange wind warning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford came into effect at 7am and will lift at 2pm, while another status orange wind warning is in place for Galway and Mayo until 6pm.
A yellow wind warning is in place nationwide until 8pm.
A yellow wind warning has been issued by @metoffice for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone & Derry⚠️#StormKathleen will bring a spell of very windy weather
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) April 6, 2024
⏲️ Valid: 08:00 - 20:00 Saturday 06/04/2024
More here https://t.co/lvQFgW8DsShttps://t.co/BFu6qGik8M pic.twitter.com/Rtz0QKs0Sw
Power outages reported on Saturday morning were concentrated in the south and west of the country.
Forecaster Met Eireann has warned of gale force southerly winds bringing a risk of difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, power outages and flooding along coastal areas.
Keith Leonard, national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM), urged people to stay away from all coastal areas during the Met Eireann warnings.
“Importantly, I would remind people that it is critical that they never ever touch or approach fallen wires,” he said, urging people to contact ESB Networks instead.
In Northern Ireland, the Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Londonderry, that came into place at 8am and will lift at 10pm.
It warned of blustery showers in parts of the region, with strong to gale force southerly winds and possibly severe gales for a time along the Down and Antrim coasts.
Some exposed and coastal areas could see gusts reaching higher speeds of up to 70mph.