Schools close early & flights cancelled as 160kph Storm Bram winds batter amid flood chaos & new RED warning fear

Scroll down to see dramatic pictures of Storm Bram making landfall in Ireland
IRELAND has been urged to “take weather warnings seriously” as dangerous Storm Bram batters the country.

Forecasters warned some counties could be placed on a red alert for the wicked weather, as schools close, 22,000 homes are without power and dozens of flights at Dublin Airport are cancelled as 160kph winds hit.

The brutal storm, named by Met Eireann yesterday, officially hit Ireland at 9pm last night.

The storm made landfall in the southwest and is expected to sweep across the country through the day, with Met Eireann issuing a series of “dangerous” Orange warnings across nearly every county today.

ESB Networks confirmed that 22,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power due to high winds, with most of the affected premises in Cork, Tipperary, Wexford, Limerick and Kildare.

And even more power outages are expected later in the day, the energy supplier warned.

Schools in several areas across the country have announced they won’t open today due to the impact of the storm.

Multiple schools in Co Donegal announced that they will close at 12.35pm or 1pm to help students and staff get home safely before weather warnings come into effect at 2pm.

Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh, Co Mayo, took to Facebook to share that they would not open today following the Status Orange warning.

They said: “The safety of our students, staff and wider community is our priority.”

St. Marys Secondary School, Ballina and Our Lady of Mercy Primary School, Sligo have also announced that they won’t open today.

Other schools across Limerick, Kerry, Clare and Galway also shut down.

The Department of Education and Youth does not publicly list school closures which means parents and guardians are notified either through social media, text message or the school’s messaging system.

It said the decision to close a school rests with the management authority but added that schools should “err on the side of caution” if in any doubt.

Northern Ireland’s Education Authority said it did not plan general school closures but asked school leaders to monitor conditions locally and make decisions.

They said: “Schools situated in or close to the amber warning zone should be mindful of the risks of high winds, power outages, damage to buildings, and significant disruption to transport services.”

FLIGHTS CANCELLED

Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Dublin Airport causing travel chaos.

The Airport said: “Storm Bram is impacting on flights at Dublin Airport today.

“As of 12.00, a total of 73 flights have been cancelled by airlines, including 36 inbound and 37 outbound.

“Further disruption is possible later today as wind speeds are expected to increase.”

FLOODING IMPACT

Pictures in Tragumna in west Cork showed metres high waves crashing into and over the sea wall.

Rosscarbery road in the same area flooded, with the sea wall in danger of collapsing.

A video shared by Cork Safety Alerts showed heavy flooding on Bailick Road in Midleton.

Waterford Station was closed this morning due to flooding as overnight rain left tracks underwater.

This morning, weather chiefs placed the entire country under a Status Orange wind warning.

The national forecaster said: “Storm Bram will bring very strong to gale force southerly winds with severe gusts.”

And they warned of “flooding of low-lying coastal areas, especially during high tide, wave overtopping, difficult travel conditions, debris, loose objects displaced, outdoor events impacted, and power outages”.

TAKE WARNINGS SERIOUSLY

Cathal Nolan of Ireland’s Weather Channel urged people to take weather warnings seriously.

He said: “Please stay up to date with the weather warnings, as they could be updated.

“And it is worth mentioning that a Status Orange weather warning is very much to be taken seriously.”

This morning, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford were all placed under a Status Orange wind warning.

The alert will remain in place until 3pm today.

The same warning is also in place in Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath and the entirety of Connacht from 11am this morning until 9pm tonight.

Donegal will also fall under an orange warning from 2pm today until 9pm.

The Met Office have put their own orange alert in place for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry from 2pm to 9pm today.

A yellow rain warning issued for Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford, was lifted at 9am today.

But the entire country remains under a Status Yellow wind warning until 9pm tonight.

COULD GET WORSE

Cathal Nolan of Ireland’s Weather Channel said some weather warnings could be upgraded to the most serious Status Red level.

He said: “There still is the possibility that that may be upgraded in one or two locations to a status red warning.

“Wind speeds expected to reach up to 140kph or 160kph as we go through the course of the day today,” the weather boffin said.

Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather said the worst of the rainfall had now passed.

But he forecast gusts in excess of 110kph “just about anywhere”.

He said: “Those strong winds are going to move right up through the country.

“Gusts in excess of 110 km/h are possible just about anywhere. And along the west coast, there is going to be a higher potential for some stronger gusts.”

There is also going to be some very high seas. So that does mean some overtopping and some coastal flooding, I’m afraid, is a risk.

“It is very mild, temperatures up to 16 degrees this morning. Ireland is one of the warmest spots in Europe this morning.

“The good news is those strong winds will clear late this evening and tonight.

“It will still stay windy, and we have some more strong winds to come on Thursday, especially in the west.”