A major clean-up operation was ongoing this evening after towns and seafront streets around the country were flooded after high tides and heavy rain last night.
High tides, strong winds and rainfall caused flooding in parts of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Salthill, Waterford, Tralee, Clare and Mayo, while the River Shannon burst its banks in Limerick.
Galway City Council warned this evening of high tides at 6.30pm today, and at 6.48am and 7.18am tomorrow, with a risk of flooding at the Spanish Arch and Slathill.
0 of 8
Later the council tweeted: “City centre OK following earlier high tide. Minor spot-flooding along coast road through Salthill from Grattan Rd to Blackrock. Avoid.”
Met Éireann has forecast winds easing tonight, with frost and ice forming in places. "Some scattered showers, mainly in coastal areas, with some falling as hail/sleet before dawn," the foreacaster stated.
In Dublin today the River Liffey burst its banks in the afternoon and Victoria Quay and the South Quay were closed.
AA Roadwatch said at 8pm the coast road is still impassable “from Moyne Rd jct to Baldoyle due to flooding. Diversions are in place.”
The Estuary Road in Malahide had been shut and flooding was reported at Portmarnock and Strand Road in Sutton. The East Link bridge was shut earlier as a precaution.
The inundated Liffey boardwalk was closed to the public and there had been extensive flooding at Clontarf.
Dublin City Council stated at about 3pm that "All roads in the city are now open: Today's high tide has now receded and all roads are now open in the city."
Luas reported at 5pm that its services were running normally. The service tweeted: “#Luas services all running normally at the moment, the weather is not affecting any of our services.”
ESB Networks said approximately 2,800 customers in counties Donegal, Mayo and Clare were without power this morning after strong winds and heavy rain overnight.
It hopes that all customers will have their power restored by this evening.
A combination of high tides and strong winds caused flooding in parts of Salthill and Galway city overnight, although the flood waters had largely receded by lunchtime.
Parts of the promenade in Salthill and many approach roads were flooded as was the docks and the area around the Spanish Arch.
In Clare, Lahinch promenade is to remain closed to the public until further notice after the walkways and seawall were “seriously comprised” during stormy weather overnight, Clare County Council said.
Units of Clare Civil Defence and Clare County Fire and Rescue Service are dealing with the incident.
Council senior engineer Tom Tiernan said: “We are advising members of the public to stay away from the seafront for their own safety to enable the authorities to assess the damage caused to the promenade.
“Flooding is receding in the promenade area. However, the threat of further flooding remains with this evening’s high tide a source of concern. In advance of this we are urging home and business owners, particularly those in low lying coastal areas, to take precautionary steps.”
There was also widespread flooding in parts of Cork yesterday although the city appeared to have escaped further flooding this morning after high tide at 6.40am.
A combination of high tides and heavy rains across Cork yesterday led to the river Lee bursting its banks over quay walls in several areas. A number of low-lying streets and quays were flooded.
AA Roadwatch advised motorists to avoid Bantry town centre until further notice due to flooding this morning.
The flooding was worst on Union Quay and George's Quay on the southern side of the South Channel, as well as on Fr Matthew Quay and Morrison's Island on the northern side of the South Channel.
South Terrace experienced flooding along with nearby Rutland Street, while the South Mall and several adjoining streets such as Pembroke Street were flooded.
Farther upstream low-lying Sharman Crawford Street and Lancaster Quay also experienced flooding.
There was also heavy flooding in parts of Youghal adjacent to the sea front. A young woman had to be rescued from her car in Midleton in east Cork after she drove into floods on the Bealick Road.
Cork City Council has appealed to the public to be vigilant during high tides which occur at 6.40am and 6.59pm.
In Limerick city the River Shannon as burst its banks at Condell Rd and this road was closed.
Meanwhile, Eircom fault levels are reportedly high in many parts of the country due to the weather conditions.
The company this afternoon said about 12,000 customers are without service. “This number is expected to rise as the volume of reported faults continues to increase due to the unprecedented level of sustained severe weather during the past three weeks,” it said.
Eircom said the worst affected areas include coastal parts of the southeast (Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford), the south and southwest (Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Clare), and the west and northwest (Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Donegal).
Some ferries, including the Irish Ferries Swift sailings between Dublin and Holyhead, were cancelled this morning due to poor conditions.
The HSS Stena Explorer sailing at 1.30pm from Dún Laoghaire was also cancelled due to adverse conditions on the Irish Sea, the company said.