Storm Austen brought intense rain and Status Orange warnings to six Irish counties overnight, disrupting early-morning travel and rush hour traffic. Met Éireann forecast widespread surface flooding as a second severe system, Storm Boelo, approaches over the bank holiday weekend.
Ireland braced for heavy downpours as a Status Orange rain warning took effect across Cork, Kerry, and Waterford, lasting until early morning. The first named storm of the 2026/2027 season, named Austen by Met Éireann in tribute to the first director of the Irish Meteorological Service Austen H. Nagle, swept across the country with easterly winds backing northwesterly.
Emergency coordinators convened daily meetings as a double dose of storms approached, with Storm Boelo tracking closely behind for Saturday. A Status Yellow rain and wind warning blanketed Leinster and Munster, while secondary Orange alerts targeted Dublin, Wexford, and Wicklow. ESB Networks warned of possible electricity outages overnight as the first major storm of the season arrived, urging residents to stay clear of fallen power lines and report emergencies through official channels.
Wet & windy conditions will spread northwards over the country this evening as Storm Austen tracks south of Ireland🍃Remaining mainly dry in Ulster with some clear spells, elsewhere heavy rain over Munster & S Leinster will extend into Connacht & Leinster through the evening.☔️ pic.twitter.com/5bsLIDj7RP
— https://x.com/MetEireann/status/2113302480083923300
Surface Flooding and Travel Disruption Across Leinster and Munster
Forecaster Gerry Murphy warned that conditions would prove treacherous for morning commuters, explaining that surface flooding would present the greatest impact as heavy rainfall targeted southern and eastern counties. Met Éireann Senior Forecaster Gerry Murphy noted the potential for flooding while wet and windy conditions spread northwards.
In Cork, emergency crews deployed sandbags and pumps as officials urged residents to stay off the roads. Rivers including the Blackwater, Lee, Cork Harbour and Youghal Bay faced heightened risks, while authorities across Midleton readied over 1,000 sandbags and mobilized the flood pump at the lower end of Main Street. Bus Éireann Chief Customer Officer Allen Parker stated that while all services were scheduled to operate as normal, updates would be posted online as quickly as possible if stormy weather caused disruptions.
🔊 Hear the latest National Audio Weather Forecast from Met Éireann for tonight & the coming days. Listen here⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ujYb1YU0e3
— https://x.com/MetEireann/status/2113330854642450627
The Road Safety Authority advised motorists to reduce speed, increase braking distances, and use dipped headlights while watching for windblown debris and fallen tree branches. Transport for Ireland reported potential delays and curtailments across bus and rail networks, advising passengers to check operator websites before traveling.
Dublin Councils Prepare for Rain as Marathon Runners Worry
Municipal teams mobilized across the capital, with Dublin City Council confirming its flood response team was preparing for potential heavy rainfall impacts across the city. Fingal County Council established a dedicated emergency contact number for reporting fallen trees, debris, and flooding directly, while urging the public to avoid sharing such reports via social media channels.
The relentless weather forecast raised immediate anxiety for approximately 22,500 runners preparing for the Dublin Marathon on Sunday. Met Éireann cautioned that blustery conditions and persistent rain would likely persist throughout the weekend, prompting calls for swimmers to avoid the water and exercise extra precautions during the shorter daylight hours.
National Coordination and the Impending Arrival of Storm Boelo
Emergency coordinators maintained regular planning meetings through the weekend as Storm Boelo approached following the clearance of Storm Austen. The UK Met Office named the incoming system Storm Boelo, which is forecast to track to the northwest of Ireland and bring strong winds and heavy rain on Saturday.
Storm Austen brings a wet and very windy start to Friday across the UK ⚠️Disruption to travel is likely, with potentially damaging winds in places, particularly across the southwest.Keep up to date with the latest info 👉 https://t.co/TfU9Ok8qZD pic.twitter.com/29S37Ltgss
— https://x.com/metoffice/status/2113344922262585811
A Status Orange Marine Storm warning was issued to cover maritime zones from Erris Head to Bloody Foreland and Belfast Lough starting Saturday evening. While Storm Austen clears eastward by Friday morning leaving blustery scattered showers in western regions, the subsequent weekend system threatens severe coastal and river impacts, prompting ongoing warnings from national authorities and meteorological services.
Storm Austen will bring heavy rain and disruptive winds across parts of the UK through Friday ⚠️Here is the 4cast 👇 pic.twitter.com/do8AcNj0tU
— https://x.com/metoffice/status/2113330263719620697
More on Met Éireann
Tomorrow, any lingering rain will clear to the east by around mid-morning.Sunshine & well scattered blustery showers elsewhere will follow, mainly affecting western counties.🌦️Highs of 9-13 C. Fresh and gusty NW winds will gradually ease to moderate towards evening.🍃 pic.twitter.com/7IeXhWG4Uu
— https://x.com/MetEireann/status/2113332166788837799
💨 Storms Austen and Boelo to bring severe weather to northwestern EuropeTwo powerful Atlantic storms, Austen and Boelo, will bring very strong winds, heavy rainfall and rough seas to northwestern Europe from Thursday evening through the weekend.🌀 Storm Austen is undergoing… pic.twitter.com/Q5XeGtQcCS
— https://x.com/Windycom/status/2113267823858352356
Ireland faces double weather battering as Storm Boelo to follow Storm Austen www.mayonews.ie/national/ireland-faces-double-weather-battering-as-storm-boelo-to-follow-storm-austen-9304688 pic.twitter.com/TZXDt6UePO
— https://x.com/themayonews/status/2113320981930582017
🌧️ Storm Austen And Storm Boelo Set To Batter UK And Ireland ⚠️Two named Atlantic storms are heading our way within 48 hours! Storm Austen strikes first on Friday, followed by Storm Boelo this weekend, bringing winds potentially reaching 80 mph, torrential rain, flooding risks… pic.twitter.com/mAhY9YIekn
— https://x.com/abovenormnews/status/2113252376790348047
#StormAusten will track to the south coast of Ireland this evening and into Friday morning. See warnings issued ➡️https://t.co/Xg3aMJlyuSThen on Saturday #StormBoelo will track to the northwest of Ireland. Warnings to follow, please stay up to date with https://t.co/6Ifr8uXQK7. pic.twitter.com/SnLSI1bQJw
— https://x.com/MetEireann/status/2113256434066497551
💨 As Storm Austen and Storm Boelo approach, want to know the latest wind forecast where you are?In the Met Office app, you can:✅ See the maximum wind gust and direction on the homepage✅ Tap the wind card for hourly wind speeds & gusts✅ View 7 days of wind speed and… pic.twitter.com/uObU2x6FQG
— https://x.com/metoffice/status/2113287962393805263