OMM Newsroom
Weather warnings have been issued across the Republic of Ireland ahead of Storm Austen, which is expected to arrive from the Atlantic on Thursday, according to the BBC.
The storm is forecast to move towards the south coast on Thursday evening and into Friday morning, bringing a risk of flooding, travel disruption and potentially dangerous conditions.
No warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland, but Storm Austen is expected to bring widespread rain there on Thursday night, clearing east on Friday morning.
An orange rain warning, the second-highest level, has been issued for six counties: Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. Ireland’s weather service, Met Éireann, has warned of possible flooding, disruption to public transport and very difficult driving conditions.
A nationwide yellow warning for rain and wind is also in effect from 19:00 local time on Thursday until 10:00 on Friday.
Storm Austen is unlikely to bring an end to the unsettled weather. Another area of low pressure is forecast to pass north of Ireland over the coming weekend, potentially bringing another spell of wet and very windy weather across the island.
The effects of the second weather system remain uncertain, but its arrival could bring several days of changeable and potentially disruptive conditions.
How storms are named
The UK’s Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) jointly prepare an alphabetical list of storm names, including suggestions from the public.
A storm is named when medium or high impacts are expected in one of those countries. The naming system is intended to help people recognise and respond to warnings.
Storm season and climate change
The storm season runs from 1 September to 31 August, although the main period of storm activity is October to March. Storms can also occur outside those peak months.
The Met Office says there is no clear observed trend in the strength or frequency of windstorms across the UK and the wider North Atlantic. Most projections suggest UK winter windstorms could become slightly more frequent and intense, although uncertainty remains.
Rising sea levels are also expected to worsen coastal flooding from storms.
