Coast Guard urges caution along Atlantic coast as wind alert issued

Met Éireann status yellow warning covers Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork and Kerry for Sunday

Storm Ewan Motorists run the gauntlet as high waves crash over the Wooden Bridge at Dollymount, Dublin in February 2017. Photograph: Eric Luke / The Irish Times
Storm Ewan Motorists run the gauntlet as high waves crash over the Wooden Bridge at Dollymount, Dublin in February 2017. Photograph: Eric Luke / The Irish Times

The Coast Guard has urged people to be cautious along the Atlantic coast on Sunday as Met Eireann has issued a wind warning.

Met Éireann’s status yellow wind warning is in place for Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork and Kerry for Sunday.

Very strong winds across the western and southwestern coastal counties are expected this weekend. A status yellow weather warnings is the lowest level of alert and urges people to be aware.

The Coast Guard has said there will be a heavy swell and very high seas along the coast on Sunday and into Monday.

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It advises the public to be careful on exposed coasts, cliffs and piers, harbour walls and promenades along the Atlantic seaboard particularly at high tide.

Met Éireann has warned of strong winds with mean speeds of 55 to 65 km / per hour on late Sunday through to Monday morning.

The winds will be strongest in the exposed hilly and coastal areas with very high seas along the coasts.

The weather outlook for the weekend is cool and blustery on Saturday with showers in the early parts of the day and gusty winds and temperature highs of 15 to 17 degrees. On Sunday there will be outbreaks of rain and drizzle in the morning with showers in the afternoon and evening and temperature highs of 14 to 17 degrees.

Earlier this week, the names of the storms that could make their way across Ireland and the UK in the coming months were announced, including Larry, Fionn, Winifred, Eleanor and Dylan.

On Wednesday, Met Éireann said the storm names had been decided on with the collaborative efforts of their colleagues in the UK Met Office, the UK’s national weather service.

Met Éireann announced that the first storm of the 2017/18 season would be named ‘Aileen’.

Others weather events we may yet hear about include storms Caroline, James, Niall, Maeve and Octavia.

This is the third year the weather organisations have been naming storms, which Derrick Ryall, head of public weather services at the Met Office, said has been proven to raise awareness of severe weather events and has prompted people “to take action to prevent harm to themselves or their property”.