Wind warning in place with cold, wet weekend ahead

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow national wind warning, with gusts of 80-100km/h expected over the weekend.

The average westerly wind speed is forecast to be 45-55km/h and the alert is in place until Saturday at 6am.

Friday morning’s heavy rain turned to showers as the afternoon progressed and conditions became cold and windy.

High winds forced the closure of the Cliffs of Moher on Friday afternoon. Winds of more than 150km/h were recorded at the Co Clare site, which is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Ireland.

AA Roadwatch said the M50 surface was very wet in both conditions and advised motorists to increase breaking distance.

Showers will be mainly confined to western coastal areas overnight, while the rest of the country will likely see clearer conditions. Overnight temperatures will drop to 1-4 degrees and frost is expected in parts.

The weekend will see “very unsettled and changeable” weather, according to Met Éireann.

Friday’s heavy showers will continue into Saturday night and temperatures will dip to lows of 3-7 degrees. Winds will also pick up and will increase to potentially gale-force strength along the Atlantic coast by Sunday morning.

Sunday will see more of the same wet, blustery weather and the possibility of gale-force winds, but should calm down as the evening progresses. The national forecaster also warned of possible flooding.

Top temperatures on Sunday will be 8-12 degrees and the lowest temperatures are expected to be 1-5 degrees. Fog and frost is predicted overnight in northern areas.