Storm Jorge Red Weather Warning – As It Happened

Picture © Pat Flynn

Forecasters say the worst of Storm Jorge should have now passed through Co. Clare.

Clare and Galway were both subject of Status Red weather alerts between 11:00 and 3:00 today, and one weather station in Moneypoint registered a gust of wind of 137 km/h.

Thousands of homes in West, North and Mid Clare have been without power at times, and some issues remain.  The latest on this situation is available here and crews are already working to resolve the issues.  Other relevant alerts will come from Met Eireann, Shannon Airport and Clare County Council, among others.

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Stormy conditions will continue this afternoon and evening – a Status Orange wind alert remains in place until midnight, and there is a possibility of wintry conditions too.

But as the Status Red alert has been lifted, we are going to wrap up our live blog now.

Thank you for reading, and do stay safe this afternoon.  Any further issues that arise will be covered on air, elsewhere on this website, and on our social media channels.

You can read back on the main events of the delay below.

 

3:57 – Earlier, the window of a shop was blown out on Henry Street, Kilrush, leaving large amounts of glass on the footpath.  Thankfully no one was nearby at the time so there were no injuries.

3:50 – There is a tree down on the Killaloe-Limerick Road, between Cloonfadda and O’Briens Bridge.

3:43 – There will inevitably be a lot of wind-blown debris on roads this evening, and with winds continuing to be strong, more problems could arise.  One listener tells us that there is a tree leaning towards the road on the Northbound side of the N18 Dual-Carraigeway at Hurlers Cross.  It’s not blocking the road, but could be an issue for high-sided vehicles.

3:26 – The storm will continue to cause disruption at Shannon Airport, and at other Airports, throughout the afternoon and evening.

 

3:23 – This astonishing video, purportedly taken in Mayo during today’s storm, shows the power of the Storm.

3:20 – Winds eased slightly in the last hour at Shannon Airport, but the strongest gust was again 109 km/h.

3:00 – The Status Red warning has now been lifted.  It remains windy, and Clare is the subject of an Orange warning for wind and a Yellow warning for snow/ice.  Caution is still strongly advised.

2:51 – Another area gets hit with power outages. 3200 premises are without power there.

In many areas, it is now estimated that it will be evening time before faults are repaired.

2:47 – Flight diversion at Shannon Airport.

2:39 – There are currently 335 Clare homes, farms and businesses without power, according to the ESB’s Powercheck website.  They’re all located in the North of the county, between Lahinch and Lisdoonvarna.

2:27 – Alan in Carlow Weather says a weather station at Moneypoint (which isn’t operated by Met Éireann) recorded a gust of 137 km/h in the last hour.  That’s 85 miles an hour.

2:25 – Winds strengthened in the last hour, to 80 km/h at Shannon Airport.  The strongest gust was 109 km/h.

2:23 – In North Clare, there are no issues to report bar ongoing power outages in Lahinch and Lisdoonvarna, while Gardaí in Ennis (who also cover East Clare) report no major issues.

Despite fears earlier, there is no report of significant coastal flooding anywhere in Clare at this point.

2:18 – Elsewhere in West Clare, there are two trees on the road beteen the Danganelly Tavern in Cooraclare and Cree, blocking roads.  There is a tree down at Kinlea, Kilmurry McMahon and a pole has fallen at Moveen, Kilkee.

2:16 – In Kilrush, Gardaí are urging people to avoid the Francis Street area as the stormy conditions have led to debris being blown down onto the street from a derelict building.

2:12 –

2:00 – It’s now just one hour until the scheduled end of the Red warning period for Clare.

1:53 – An update on the situation in Clonlara.

 

1:41 – It certainly looks like people are heeding the warnings related to this Storm.  Usually very busy on a Saturday afternoon, Francis St. in Ennis is currently deserted.  Our own Brian McLoughlin took this photo.

Storm Jorge - Francis Street

1:35 – There is a tree down, blocking the road, near Our Lady’s Well in Dromelihy, Cooraclare (per a listener).

1:30 – Winds in Clare have now officially topped 100 km/h, with the strongest gust at Shannon Airport reaching 104 km/h in the last hour.  That’s just short of 65 miles an hour.

1:26 – A listener is warning that there are electricity wires on the road near Kilfenora Mart.  Be very careful if driving in that area, although at this time it’s best to stay off the roads altogether if possible.

1:25 – Thanks to everyone for your updates from throughout Co. Clare.  Clearly Storm Jorge is packing quite the punch.

Storm Jorge Updates 2

Storm Jorge Updates 1

1:15 – Another power fault is reported in North Clare, with a further 1625 homes, farms and businesses now without supply in the Ennistymon area.  The ESB estimates that this will be resolved by 2pm.  You can check out the full situation by clicking here.

1:09 –

1:04 – We have been liaising with Gardaí, who report no major issues on Clare’s roads so far.  However, that could change at any moment, given the strength of the wind, and the advice to stay indoors remains.

This video, reportedly from Maam Cross in Co. Galway, shows the strength of the wind.  It’s been posted online by The Galway Advertiser.

12:57 – We’re about to go live with our Main Lunchtime News which will have a full round-up of the latest situation.  Click the Listen Live button on our home page to tune in.

12:53 – The ESB says the supply problem that had been affecting nearly 3,000 homes and businesses in West Clare has now been resolved.  Two separate faults in the Lisdoonvarna area are set to be repaired before 3:30, according to the latest estimates.

12:39 – Consider this a polite reminder….  Don’t be THAT person today.

12:32 – Today’s weather is far from ideal for those who have been battling flooding around Ireland, including in Springfield, Clonlara.  There, water levels declined again overnight and the ESB is maintaining the amount of water going through Parteen Weir at 400 tonnes per second.

Photo: Clare County Council
Photo: Clare County Council

12:27 –

12:19 – This Aer Lingus plane looks like it may have taken the ‘scenic route’ because of the weather conditions

12:15 – The strongest gust of wind at Shannon Airport in the last hour was 94 km/h, and winds generally strengthened by 17 km/h in the last hour alone.

12:05 – Thanks to Theresa for this update over on our Facebook page.

theresa

11:58 – There are now over 3,000 customers without power.  In the past few minutes, the ESB have reported that the majority of those are in the Kilrush area, while the numbers affected in North Clare – in and around Lisdoonvarna – has jumped to 271.

11:45 – 79 ESB customers are currently without power in the Ennistymon area.  They’re expected back online at 2pm.

The ESB has also drafted additional staff into Co. Clare to deal with any problems that may arise here today.

11:43 – There are three other weather warnings in plcce for Clare.  After the Red warning is lifted (scheduled for 3pm at present) a Status Orange wind warning will remain in place until 3 a.m. tonight.  Winds will still be strong, with gusts of up to 130 km/h forecast.  There’s also warnings for rain and for snow/ice for times today.

Yellow Weather Warnings During Jorge

11:37 – While this is the latest update from Irish Rail in relation to their services.

11:30 – Shannon Airport hasn’t advised of any flight disruption at this time, but those who are flying today are being asked to bear the conditions in mind and to contact their airlines for uptodate information

11:25 – Bus Éireann says a number of its services are impacted by the weather.

They include:

Commuter, Rural and Local (PSO) services
Route 323

13:00 Limerick to Killaloe Cancelled
13:45 Killaloe to Limerick Cancelled
14:30 Limerick to Killaloe – curtailed to Montpelier
15:45 Killaloe to Limerick is cancelled

Route 333

1500 service from Ennis to Doonbeg is cancelled

Route 336

1200 service from Kilkee is cancelled
1525 service from Ennis to Kilkee is cancelled

Route 343

11:35 Limerick to Ennis – curtailed to Shannon Airport
12:35 Limerick to Ennis is cancelled
13:35 Limerick to Ennis is cancelled
14:35 Limerick to Ennis is cancelled
15:35 Limerick to Ennis is cancelled
12:40 Ennis to Limerick is cancelled
13:40 Ennis to Limerick is cancelled
14:40 Ennis to Limerick is cancelled
15:40 Ennis to Limerick is cancelled
16:40 Ennis to Limerick is cancelled

Route 346

14:00 Limerick to Whitegate is cancelled

Route 350

0800 departure from Galway to Ennis will operate to Doolin only
1000, 1300 services between Galway and Ennis are cancelled
1030, 1430 services between Ennis and Galway are cancelled
1730 service from Ennis to Galway will operate from Doolin only to Galway

Further details are available from www.buseireann.ie

11:22 – The strongest gust of the day so far was recorded at Met Eireann’s Shannon Airport weather observation station between 10:00 and 11:00 – it was 72 km/h.  That will undoubtedly be exceeded in the coming hours.  At Mace Head, in Co. Galway, a gust of 126 km/h was recorded.  Galway and Clare are the only two counties under this Status Red alert.

11:16 – The advice for the duration of the storm is simple.  Stay indoors, and stay out of harm’s way.  A lot of businesses have closed, or are closing this afternoon, but the late change for the times of the Red Warning will have undoubtedly caught some by surprise.

John Leahy of Clare County Council spoke with Clare FM’s James Mulhall last evening, and outlined their concerns, which include the potential for coastal flooding.

11:07 – The exact details of Met Eireann’s warning can be seen below.  The worst of the weather conditions are expected in Clare up until 3pm