Orange rain warnings in effect for six counties

A Status Orange rain warning is now in effect for counties Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Wicklow, Wexford and Dublin.

Met Éireann has forecast "intense rain" associated with Storm Austen and has warned of the risk of flooding due to fallen leaves and blocked drains.

The warning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford will remain in place until 5am, while Wicklow, while the warning for Wicklow, Wexford and Dublin extends until 8am.

A Status Yellow rain and wind warning for Leinster and Munster is also in effect until 10am.

The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management has advised of the potential for flooding and difficult travel conditions due to the arrival of Storm Austen.

Households are advised to secure any outdoor items such as bins or garden furniture and to ensure access to essential supplies. Motorists should exercise caution and avoid driving through flooded roads.

Local authorities made preparations throughout yesterday for heavy rain and wind associated with the storm.

Met Éireann said river levels are expected to rise across Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Dublin and parts of the surrounding counties, potentially resulting in rivers exceeding their banks and causing flooding.

Met Éireann Senior Forecaster Gerry Murphy said the potential for flooding with leaves and blocked drains is "substantial".

"From my flood forecasting colleagues, the water levels in some areas are not quite as high as perhaps some times during the winter... because we are in the autumn still and we have had a dry summer," he said.

Mr Murphy said it will be wet in most places because of the Status Yellow rain warning for all counties, but areas in south and east under the Orange warning will be worst affected.

"You could be talking anywhere between 40mm and 60mm of rain in those areas with an orange rain warning, which means flooding will be likely," he said.

"The heaviest rain is overnight along the east coast from 2am until 8am. For rush hour, there is likely to be floods on many of the roads, and it will be a difficult enough morning in the east and in the south as well."

Mr Murphy said there will be "no real let up" from the rain over the weekend and blustery conditions are expected for Sunday's Dublin marathon.

Storm Austen was named by the UK Met Office as the UK will see the worst impacts of the storm in relation to winds.

The storm could bring gusts of up to 125kph to parts of south-west England, with 95-120kph winds expected across much of the region

The Met Office has issued a wind warning covering Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly, coming into effect from 1am and remaining in place until 10am.

The Met Office has also said Storm Boelo will affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England over the weekend.

A yellow warning, covering Northern Ireland from 6pm on Saturday to 3pm on Sunday, is due to predicted winds of up to 105-120kph in exposed regions.

Storm Boelo is a separate low-pressure system to Storm Austen.

Storm Austen is due to clear eastwards into the North Sea through Friday.

Met Éireann, the UK Met Office and the meteorological service in the Netherlands, KNMI, launched the list of names for the 2026/27 storm season, with each of the national partners contributing seven names, according to the forecaster.

The name Austen was submitted by Met Éireann.

Austen H Nagle was the first director of the Irish Meteorological Service and worked in the British Meteorological Office from 1927 to 1936.

Additional reporting from PA