Ireland’s meteorological service, Met Éireann, issued an orange weather warning as Storm Abigail approached Ireland, with winds of up to 50mph and gusts of up to 74mph.
An orange wind warning was in place for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo, where southerly winds are expected to reach, up to 50mph with gusts of up to 74mph. While in a yellow warning was issued for for Munster, Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan and Roscommon where winds are expected to right up to 35mph.
Here's footage taken in Donegal on Thursday afternoon:
And this video, tweeted from Galway, is being widely used to illustrate the conditions.
Soft day in Galway thank God! @GalwayHour @DiscoverGalway @galwayad @CTribune @galwaybayswim #loveGalway @Galwigo pic.twitter.com/aVB49BA70y
— PictureDiaryGalway (@PicDiaryGalway) November 9, 2015
On Thursday evening, Dublin airport suffered a number of delays. Scheduled flights from rom Donegal, the Isle of Man (both Aer Lingus), Shetland (Eastern Airways) and Frankfurt (Lufthansa) were cancelled.
Debris and fallen trees have been reported on roads around the country. In Waterford a fuel spill is running from the Dunmore Road as far as the Tramore Road.
These weather warnings are expected to stay in place over the coming days. Experts are forecasting heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong, gusty winds.
While Ireland has enjoyed temperature in the low 60Fs until recently it was expected to reach as low as 35F on Thursday evening.
Met Eireann forecaster Gerry Murphy, speaking to RTE radio, said an orange warning means the public should “be prepared.”
"This storm will affect coastal Ireland, the inland will be windy but not stormy winds,” Murphy said.
"We have issued an orange warning. The yellow means 'be aware', the orange means 'be prepared' and the red is 'take action'.
"Make sure anything you're doing today, be prepared. Especially those who live on the coast, they will have high winds.
"Make sure your actions are safe and make sure your children and your elderly neighbors are kept safe.”
Storm Abigail lashes country with strong winds and rain https://t.co/ZfpUbUPR7E pic.twitter.com/v0JseaAAd5
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) November 12, 2015
Irish police asked drivers and all road users to “slow down and light up.”
Abigail is coming and she’s got wind. Heavy rain & winds expected, Road users slow down & light up, pedestrians & cyclists be safe & be seen
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) November 12, 2015
The storm is expected to continue to affect Ireland for two days. Friday will be blustery, with “unstable air” and temperatures will hit a high of only 50F. The weather is unlikely to improve over the weekend.
The gale of Abigail could bring heavy rain, lightning and winds of up to 90mph to Scotland https://t.co/mwz6JgxSvo pic.twitter.com/u9MWDEHJqC
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 12, 2015
This is the first storm in the area to be given a name. Storm Abigail was christened following a a campaign by Met Éireann and its British counterpart, the Met Office, to raise awareness about safety when severe weather is forecast. Among names considered were Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude, Henry, Imogen, Jake, Katie, Lawrence, Mary, Nigel, Orla, Phil, Rhonda, Steve, Tegan, Vernon and, Wendy.
Comments