A man was airlifted to safety by a Coast Guard helicopter after he became stranded on the Great South Wall at the entrance to Dublin Port today.
Atlantic weather chart for midday today courtesy of Met Eireann
The man, a Dutch national, was winched off the wall at 12.40 p.m. and taken to Dublin Airport. He did not require medical attention.
The Irish Coast Guard issued a warning to the public to expect unusually high tides. "People are advised to stay away from harbours, piers, jetties, cliffs, coastal walkways and exposed areas due to the increased risk of being swept away by large waves and strong winds," a coast guard statement said.
Met Eireann has issued a severe weather warning covering today and tomorrow. Gusts of between 70 and 80 miles per hour are being predicted and rainfall totals could exceed 50mm, causing severe flooding in some areas of Leinster and Munster.
It also warned that high seas and high tides will lead to coastal flooding, particularly in the south and east of the country.
Cork city and county have been worst affected by the storms, which have mainly hit the south and east of the country.
Gardaí warned motorists to avoid Cork city centre and Carrigaline, which were badly affected by flooding. There were also reports of people being trapped in their cars by the rising waters on the Lower Glanmire Road. Floodwaters in Cork city centre began to recede from about 8.30 p.m.
There was also serious flooding in Waterford City, where a high tide and heavy rain caused the River Suir to flood the quays and many of the surrounding streets.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for ESB said power has been restored to the thousand homes in the Cork area that suffered blackouts due to the weather this afternoon.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the National Safety Council advised the public to take care. The HSA advised outdoor workers such as farmers and those in the construction industry to exercise care and particularly to avoid working at heights. They have also been advised to secure items that could be blown over or carried away in high winds.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dick Roche, has requested department officials to contact all County Managers in vulnerable counties to ensure the necessary arrangements are being put in place to deal with the adverse weather conditions.
A phone number has also been made available by each local authority to enable members of the public to keep in touch with any relevant arrangements following possible flooding.
Earlier today, four flights due to land at Cork airport were diverted to Shannon and Kerry due to the adverse weather conditions. A spokeswoman for Aer Rianta advised passengers to check with individual airlines for travel updates.
A number of ferry crossings have also been cancelled. Again passengers are advised to contact the ferry companies for news of cancellations.
Hundreds of passengers on board an Irish Ferries vessel are stranded at sea off the Welsh coast tonight. High winds prevented the
Isle of Inishmorefrom docking hours after it was due to arrive at Pembroke. The ferry left Rosslare at around 10.00 a.m., arriving in the Welsh port at around 2.30 p.m.
However, the captain decided it was unsafe to dock and the ferry is now waiting off the coast for sea conditions to improve.
Earlier this morning a woman was rescued from the Connemara mountains and taken to Galway hospital with a suspected broken leg. Last night an attepmt to remove her to hospital by helicopter was abandoned due to strong winds.