Orange warnings as Storm Austen to bring 'intense rain'

Two Status Orange rain warnings have been issued for six counties as Storm Austen is set to hit Ireland tomorrow evening.

Met Éireann said there could be disruption and delays to public transport, flooding and very difficult travelling conditions as intense rain is forecast.

A Status Orange rain warning will be in effect for Cork, Kerry and Waterford from 10pm tomorrow night until 5am on Friday.

A separate Status Orange rain warning has been issued for Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow.

This warning will be in operation from 2am to 8am on Friday.

A Status Yellow warning for wind and rain will also be in effect for all counties from 7pm tomorrow until 10am on Friday.

'Bulk of rain and strongest of winds' across southern counties

Met Éireann meteorologist Mark Bowe said Storm Austen is heading towards the southern part of the UK, bringing strong winds along with very heavy rain, which will then sweep across the southern part of Ireland.

"As the storm is passing through the south, the bulk of the rain and the strongest of winds will be across our southern counties - Munster and southern Leinster in particular.

"So we have upgraded Cork, Kerry and Waterford to Orange rainfall warnings for intense rain associated with the passing of Storm Austen, that will lead to areas of flooding and very difficult travelling conditions.

"This orange warning is for Thursday night through to early Friday morning."

Mr Bowe added that people are "likely to see very difficult travelling conditions and localised flooding is possible throughout the country, but the bulk of the impacts will be across our southern counties".

Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Gerry Murphy, Senior Forecaster with Met Éireann 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.

"But there is still the potential for some of the smaller river catchments for flooding to occur, and then places where there are leaves possibly gathered and causing blocked drains as well.

"So, in those counties, especially where those Orange level rainfall warnings are, there is certainly the possibility of flooding in some places."

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Met Éireann has also issued a Status Orange - Marine Storm warning from Wicklow Head to Dungarvan to Valentia, on the Irish Sea South of Anglesey, with north to northwest winds reaching storm force 10 at times.

This warning will be in operation from 9pm tomorrow night until 7am on Friday.

Looking ahead to the weekend, Mark Bowe said that as the storm passes off later on Friday, it will be replaced by sunshine and blustery showers, with some more very unsettled weather in store for Saturday.

"Saturday looks very wet and windy and that is likely to have some impacts from some very strong winds, particularly in the north-west."

On Sunday, he said there will be "an improvement of sorts".

"The rain should ease in the early morning on Sunday, with some sunny spells for Sunday afternoon before rain arrives again on Monday."

Mr Bowe said that Monday will be wet and blustery, with rain moving over the entire country in the early morning, followed by showers and blustery winds for the afternoon and evening.

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

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.

He later took up a senior post in the United States Weather Bureau.

Waterford council warns of impact on outdoor events

Waterford City and County Council has advised event organisers to assess the risks associated with proceeding with outdoor events over the coming days.

A spokesperson for the council has said that the unsettled weather expected over the long weekend could impact planned outdoor events.

The spokesperson said that the potential impacts from Storm Austen are likely to include localised flooding from "urban and fast-responding smaller watercourses/catchments, drains, channels and flooding from overland flow, fallen trees and branches and loose debris resulting in very difficult travelling conditions".

Waterford City and County Council's Severe Weather Assessment Team is currently monitoring the situation.

The council has said its ground crews are on stand-by to deal with issues as they arise, such as localised flooding, blocked drains and gully overflows.