A series of weather warnings have been issued as Storm Lilian approaches Ireland this evening. Met Éireann has announced a Status Yellow rain warning, effective from 10 p.m. tonight until 4 a.m. tomorrow, for eight counties. The affected areas—Clare, Galway, Roscommon, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, and Westmeath—are expected to experience heavy rain that could lead to localized flooding and challenging travel conditions.
In addition, a separate Status Yellow wind warning will be in effect from midnight until 6 a.m. tomorrow for Munster, Wexford, Wicklow, Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Kildare, and Dublin. The warning predicts unseasonably strong and gusty south to southwest winds, shifting to the west and northwest. The heightened risk of coastal flooding is attributed to very high tides, which may cause wave overtopping and potential power outages.
The warnings follow a previously issued Status Yellow wind and rain alert for Galway and Mayo, which was lifted at 2:30 a.m. after the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto impacted the west coast.
Storm Lilian, named by the UK Met Office, is the 12th named storm of the current season, which concludes on August 31. The practice of naming storms, initially introduced by Met Éireann and the Met Office in 2015, was expanded to include the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) in 2019.
Recent storms in Ireland include Kathleen, which struck on April 6 with gale force winds reaching 85 km/h, and Storm Isha on January 21, classified as a ‘violent storm’ with gusts of up to 137 km/h recorded at Mace Head, Co Galway. This was followed shortly by Storm Jocelyn, which brought gusts of 122 km/h.
As Storm Lilian advances, it is also expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the UK, adding to the region’s current weather challenges.
