Storm Isha: Orange weather warnings issued for Sunday with gusts of up to 120km/h forecast

A number of weather warnings are in place with Storm Isha set to bring very strong winds and damaging gusts over the coming days.

Met Éireann has issued status orange alerts for Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Leinster, Munster and Connacht for Sunday.

The forecaster is advising that very strong southwest to west winds will lead to severe and damaging gusts reaching speeds of up to 120km/h.

The possible impacts, it says, include large coastal waves with potential for overtopping, very difficult travelling conditions, fallen trees and damage to power lines. The warnings come into effect from 5pm on Sunday until the early hours of Monday.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has advised road users to “exercise caution” while on the roads on Sunday and Monday.

A separate status yellow warning is in place for all of Ireland from 11am on Sunday until 4am on Monday. This advises that there will be strong and gusty southwest winds with heavy rain at times which will lead to difficult travel conditions and displaced objects.

In Northern Ireland, a UK Met Office amber alert has been issued for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry from Sunday evening until Monday morning.

“Storm Isha will bring a spell of very strong winds during Sunday evening into Monday. Disruption to travel and utilities is likely,” it says.

A yellow alert has been issued for the same counties from noon on Sunday until noon on Monday.

A status red marine storm warning has also been issued from Erris Head to Bloody Foreland to Fair Head from Sunday evening to the early hours on Monday, with southwest to west winds expected to reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 during this period.

Met Éireann said Saturday would be a cloudy and quite windy day with fresh to strong and gusty southerly winds. Scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle are forecast for the early part of the day with more rain, occasionally heavy, to arrive later in the day. Highest temperatures of eight to 11 degrees are expected.

Overnight, outbreaks of rain are to move in from the Atlantic along with fresh to strong and gusty southwest to west winds.

Sunday is to be a very windy day as Storm Isha tracks to the northwest of Ireland.

“Very strong and gusty southerly winds will develop countrywide, with strong gales and high waves along coasts. It will be a wet day too, with rain becoming heavy at times, particularly in the west and south. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees,” Met Éireann said.

The weather is to remain generally unsettled throughout the coming days, although a brief period of drier and brighter weather is expected on Wednesday.

Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phoneFind The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to dateOur In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here