{"id":280210,"date":"2026-02-04T12:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/280210\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T12:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:21:08","slug":"met-eireann-issues-rain-warnings-for-several-counties-amid-flooding-risks-for-southeast-and-dublin-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/280210\/","title":{"rendered":"Met \u00c9ireann issues rain warnings for several counties amid flooding risks for southeast and Dublin \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Met \u00c9ireann<\/a> has issued rainfall warnings for several counties, including status orange warnings for Waterford and Wicklow.<\/p>\n

The orange rainfall warning for these two counties will be in effect from 3am on Thursday until 3am on Friday.<\/p>\n

Waterford and Wicklow will experience \u201cspells of very heavy rain falling on already saturated ground, combined with high river levels and high tides\u201d. <\/p>\n

Localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions are expected in both counties, according to Met \u00c9ireann.<\/p>\n

A status yellow rain warning will be in effect for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Wexford, Monaghan and Tipperary from 3am on Thursday until 3am on Friday.<\/p>\n

These counties are also likely to experience flooding and difficult travel conditions.<\/p>\n

Several rivers including the Liffey, the Nore, the Barrow and the Slaney already have very high water levels and these are expected to rise further on Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n

Wicklow County Council and Waterford County Council have advised members of the public to take extra caution in the coming days.<\/p>\n

A number of roads are closed in Wicklow, following storm damage in recent days. The council has advised that more roads may be closed in the coming days.<\/p>\n

Motorists have been urged to allow extra travel time, reduce speed and not attempt to drive on roads which are closed. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur teams remain vigilant, monitoring the situation to assess potential impacts in the county, and in particular for the recently flood-affected areas,\u201d a statement from Wicklow County Council said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain ready to respond to the ongoing flooding situation as issues may occur. Repair work is still ongoing around the county, to damaged roads, pipes, and manholes. We continue to engage with business owners and residents. <\/p>\n

\u201cRequests from the public for sandbags are responded to following assessment of need and subject to availability of stock of sandbags.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dublin City Council<\/a> is \u201cmonitoring river levels and coastal conditions closely, to ensure appropriate responses as required\u201d, a statement said. <\/p>\n

Carparks along the coast at Sandymount and Clontarf remain closed to \u201cprotect against possible wave overtopping\u201d. <\/p>\n

The cycle lane at Clontarf, the Eden Quay boardwalk and the flood gates along the River Dodder will also remain closed until further notice as a precautionary measure.<\/p>\n

How to get information on flooding risks<\/p>\n

Met \u00c9ireann<\/a> is a good place to begin. The forecaster\u2019s website, met.ie<\/a>, provides national and regional forecasts. You can also get the state of play at your nearest weather station.<\/p>\n

Its app is better as it provides more localised information and a look-ahead to the next five days. You can set it to default to your area or zoom in on a map to any location. <\/p>\n

However, it does not give detailed information about river levels or ground conditions.<\/p>\n

So how do I know that? The OPW maintains waterlevel.ie<\/a> with real-time data on river levels being fed in from a network of hydrometric stations with gauges at key points along each river. You can zoom in on a map, pick a station and get charts showing current water levels and past water levels.Most local authorities use the mapalerter.ie<\/a> website and app to send notices to individuals about issues in their area but you have to sign up for it. Then you\u2019ll get notices via text message, app notification and\/or email. <\/p>\n

Speaking on the way into Cabinet on Wednesday morning, T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris<\/a> said there will be \u201csignificant rainfall\u201d from late on Wednesday into Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n

Harris said senior ministers held an \u201cimportant conversation\u201d on Tuesday night about interim works that can be put in place to mitigate the impact. Regarding permanent flood relief schemes, he acknowledged that communities are looking for \u201cwhat more can be done in the here and now\u201d. <\/p>\n

There will be more engagement next week on flood warning systems against the backdrop of a \u201csignificant difference between a yellow and red weather warning\u201d for rain when rivers are low or high, he said.<\/p>\n

The National Emergency Co-ordination Group met again on Tuesday<\/a> to \u201ccontinue to assess the flooding situation and prepare for the risk of further flooding this week\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll relevant departments, agencies and local authorities are on alert for difficult conditions over the coming week that may result in flooding in some areas,\u201d a statement from the group said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are working to put in place measures to mitigate the impact of further rain, and to ensure readiness to respond to any flooding incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n

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There are currently no weather<\/a> warnings in place, but Met \u00c9ireann has issued a weather advisory for Ireland.<\/p>\n

The forecaster said \u201cspells of heavy and persistent rainfall will continue through the week\u201d, particularly in southern and eastern counties.<\/p>\n

\u201cFlooding is likely due to a combination of already saturated ground, high river levels and high tides,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>\n

Met \u00c9ireann\u2019s Andrew Doran-Sherlock said people \u201creally need to pay attention to what the weather conditions are and what river gauge data is\u201d.<\/p>\n

The meteorologist told RT\u00c9 Radio<\/a>\u2019s Morning Ireland \u201clocal authorities will have the best guidance because they\u2019ll have a good idea of the response times of the rivers in their areas\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to note that even when it\u2019s not raining there are some delayed responses in some rivers and catchment areas, so the risk of flooding doesn\u2019t necessarily stop just because the rain has stopped, there can be delayed responses.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"TheThe scene at Sandymount Strand in south Co Dublin where barriers were erected and sandbags placed to combat the high tides. Photograph: Bryan O\u2019Brien <\/p>\n

Doran-Sherlock said more heavy rain is on the way, bringing a risk of further flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got high river levels, somewhere at bank full or above, and at this stage any amount of any further rain or showers could lead to larger impacts. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, especially as we head into tomorrow with further heavy rain and with strengthening easterly winds for onshore coastal areas around high tides, there\u2019s the risk of coastal flooding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doran-Sherlock said rain will be heaviest and most frequent in the coming days in the south, southeast, east and northeast. He said many of these areas \u201chave already had such unusually large accumulations for the time of year, and that\u2019s really continuing through Thursday night and Friday as well\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be some significant accumulations in places. It looks like it will ease a bit on Saturday. There\u2019s a bit of uncertainty in the exact details. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs it currently stands, Sunday is looking like the driest day of the week, but really, as we head into next week, there isn\u2019t quite a let up. It\u2019s still going to be dominated by low pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WavesWaves crash against the outdoor baths on the Coast Road, in Clontarf, Dublin on Tuesday. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill<\/p>\n

Keith Leonard from the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management said \u201cabsolutely every engineering solution and every kind of interim measure\u201d is being taken to deal with the record-breaking levels of water in river catchments around the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking at, I think, today and particularly into tomorrow is difficult conditions across that eastern region. I think the Nore, the Barrow, the Slaney and the Liffey catchments are going to see very high levels right across this evening and into tomorrow,\u201d he told Morning Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in a very unusual situation now, where even rainfall below the warning thresholds can have an impact across the rivers and sometimes the rainfall, the impact lags behind the rainfall, so you could have impacts right up until Friday.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waves crash on to the promenade at Sandymount, Dublin at high tide amid an ongoing status yellow rain warning. Video: Bryan O’Brien <\/p>\n

Leonard said councils in areas that have been less affected by the weather are moving equipment to places with greater need.<\/p>\n

There is a co-ordinated response, particularly in Dublin and southeastern areas, where local authorities are meeting with each other on a regular basis to co-ordinate their operations, he said.<\/p>\n

People are advised to follow the latest weather updates on Met \u00c9ireann\u2019s website<\/a> and to track their local river levels on the OPW\u2019s Water Level website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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