The clocks went back in Ireland early on Sunday morning – as the country braced itself for a Halloween hurricane nightmare.
Weather forecasters have warned that the south and east coasts will experience the tail-end of a hurricane force storm expected to hit Britain on Sunday night.
Irish motorists have been warned to take extra care as heavy rain and storm-force winds bash the country according to the Sunday Independent.
The paper reports that Ireland’s official weather service Met Eireann has said Ireland will escape the worst of the UK storm but the holiday weekend weather will be ‘miserable’.
Ferry sailings and flights are expected to be disrupted on Monday.
Met Eireann forecaster John Eagleton said: “It’s not going to be a great bank holiday weekend.
“It will start off dry on Saturday but cloud over with heavy rain spreading from the west, and it will be wet everywhere by about midday or early afternoon.
“It will rain for several hours in the afternoon and it’s going to be very windy and blustery on Sunday. It will be very showery in the west, but not as showery in the east.
“It will also feel cool, although temperatures won’t be very low. On Monday, we’ll have that storm. It will come in north of the Bristol channel and over the Welsh mountains, and Monday will have the strongest winds from the north-east.
“While the heaviest of the rain should be gone by Monday afternoon, there will be cold, blustery winds.
“You might have some flights delayed for an hour or two, but it will move away very quickly. Any disruption will be short-lived. There will be rough seas on Monday as well.”
Ireland’s Road Safety Authority has warned of localised flooding over the weekend and urged motorists to take extra care, exercise caution and reduce their speed.
A spokesman said: “It takes longer to stop a vehicle on wet roads so slow down and allow extra distance between you and the vehicle in front.
“Take special care when driving behind trucks or buses as they generate a considerable amount of spray, which reduces your visibility.
“Control of a vehicle may be affected by strong crosswinds. High-sided vehicles and motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable. Watch out for fallen debris on the road and vehicles veering across the road, and the reaction of other road users.”
The RSA has also advised caution in the wake of winter time’s arrival on Sunday.
Director of road safety research and driver education Michael Rowland said: “With evenings getting darker much earlier, and fewer hours of daylight during the day, it’s even more important for vulnerable road-users, such as walkers, joggers and cyclists to ensure they can be seen by other road-users when out on the roads.
“Wear high-visibility clothing such as high-vis vest or a Sam Browne belt, carry a torch when out on the roads and ensure you have working lights on your bicycle.”
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