Yellow Alert for wind and rain in place


An Atlantic low pressure system that would not be out of place in November has been moving steadily towards the west coast. 

The centre of this low will make a landfall in Galway later this afternoon and then will cross the central counties to emerge into the Irish Sea around Dundalk late tonight.

If you are located near this track, including Galway, most of the midlands and Dublin, expect winds to become more moderate later today when the low is closer, and in some cases there may be a brief calm interval with the low overhead (that more likely in Meath than Dublin). Further north, east winds will continue and will remain in the range of 50 to 80 km/hr. Rain will be steadier further north and more showery in nature further south, but eventually most places will get similar totals of about 20 mm (30-50 mm localized maximum rainfalls could occur over higher terrain especially in Kerry and west Cork).

It will be quite rough off the south coast with winds of 80-120 km/hr, and some of these gusts will reach at least outer headlands if not a little further inland at times in the south. Around Dublin, wind gusts of 70-90 km/hr seem likely for much of the day before that lull begins around midnight. The south coast winds will be south to southwest for most of the day, veering to westerly then northwesterly overnight. The Atlantic coast will also be quite windy although closer proximity to the low centre probably means somewhat more moderate speeds for Clare and south Galway. In some places winds will begin to veer from southeast to southwest later this morning and further north they will back from southeast to northeast, depending on which side of the low track you are located.

Temperatures will be in the 13-15 C range most of the day in the south, could peak a bit higher anywhere that the sun pokes through for any length of time. Along the track of the low would expect cloud to be persistent and temperatures steady 12-13 C. Further north it may be a few degrees cooler in the east winds.

By tonight, the low will be over Leinster and then by morning near the Isle of Man, and this will promote a gradual turn of winds in all regions to northwest, or northerly in east Ulster. These winds will be fairly strong in the range of 60 to 90 km/hr. There will only be small additional amounts of rainfall in this phase of the event. The overnight lows will be around 8 to 10 C.