Close to 6,000 homes in Ireland were without power yesterday thanks to Storm Eva, with Ireland’s electricity provider, ESB Networks, working to restore power overnight. As of this morning, close to 2,000 remained without electricity.
Yesterday, Met Éireann, Ireland’s weather service, issued a Status Orange wind warning, its second highest severe wind warning, for counties Clare, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, and Sligo. Winds of up to 75 miles per hour were expected until midnight.
A Status Yellow wind warning was in place for all of Leinster, in addition to counties Cavan, Cork, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Waterford.
Parts of Clare and Limerick were on heightened alert for flooding due to a combination of the high winds, sea swell, and high tides.
Northern Ireland was also battered with 85 miles per hour winds and rain from the west, with flood warnings issued for Co. Fermanagh.
Storm #Eva brings floods and gales #weather warning for #NorthernIreland https://t.co/ix8IOqP6qy pic.twitter.com/EidnLn60Si
— Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) December 23, 2015
A Yellow Status warning still remains in effect.
Met Éireann's Gerald Fleming told RTE’s "Morning Ireland" program that the night of Christmas Eve into Christmas Day would be mostly clear – welcome news for Santa and his reindeer.
Met Éireann issues three weather warnings as Storm Eva approaches https://t.co/DGDwmhhT9H pic.twitter.com/zmfkADB5EW
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 22, 2015
"We expect actually after the storm passes tonight to have a fairly chilly day tomorrow which is unusual because it has been so mild," he said.
"Nothing particularly cold, but we will have a few wintry showers here and there and it will feel a little bit nippy, you'll want to wrap up well if you're going out.
"But it seems like the night of the 24th into the 25th will be quite a calm clear night."
Met Éireann’s official forecast for tomorrow is now: “Christmas Day will start off cold and dry in many central and northern counties with remaining frost clearing. Rain in south will spread northwards during the day and wet in most places through the afternoon with persistent rain. Cold for much of the day except in the south with afternoon temperatures ranging from [39 to 41 degrees F] in northern counties to [53 to 55 degrees F] in some southern parts, but temperatures rising into double figures countrywide early tomorrow night.
Ireland is still on track to potentially beat its record for the warmest-ever December, though it does not look likely that this Christmas Day will beat the record of 56.7F recorded at Dublin Airport in 1974.
Eva is the fifth winter storm to hit Ireland since Met Éireann implemented the practice of naming storms earlier this year. Thus far, Ireland has weathered Abigail, Barney, Clodagh and Desmond.
H/T The BBC, TheJournal.ie
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