Storm Chandra: Met Office Amber and Yellow weather warnings Northern Ireland
Storm Chandra is forecast to bring gusts of up to 70mph (112kmh) to Northern Ireland and other parts of the island of Ireland tomorrow.
Chandra could see power outages, falls of snow, and some communities cut off by flooded roads.
The UK Met Office said Chandra will bring “very strong winds” to Northern Ireland as it advised the public to expect longer journey times and likely cancellations on road, rail, air and ferry services.
The storm has the potential to damage buildings, with flying roof tiles and other debris posing a danger to life.
It said there is a “good chance that power cuts may occur” which could affect other services such as mobile phone coverage.
Forecasters also warned that some communities may be cut off by flooded roads, with outbreaks of rain spreading across Northern Ireland during today, potentially even falling as snow for a time on the highest ground.
Met Office Senior Operational Meteorologist Liam Eslick told the News Letter: “Storm Chandra is moving into the southwest of the UK overnight tonight (Monday) bringing heavy rain and strong winds overnight into Tuesday.
"The Irish sea will see the strongest of these winds through Tuesday, with the eastern half of Northern Ireland seeing 60-70 mph gusts and up to 75 mph along the coasts.
"These winds accompanied with heavy rain with cause a lot of disruption to building and travel which is why we have issued an Amber warning for this area.
“We advise to only travel if you absolutely need to and avoid travelling to the coasts. Also to keep up to date on our website and check the warnings for any updates.”
Northern Ireland’s Education Authority said this afternoon that there were no plans to issue general school closure notices, but that local school leaders should assess conditions in their areas and make their own decision if required.
The Met Office said rainfall totals of 20-30mm are “likely fairly widely”, with 50-70 mm possible on high ground especially in eastern areas.
A status yellow warning for rain was in place from midday until midnight today for a region affecting five counties in Northern Ireland but excluding Antrim and those closest to the northern coast in Londonderry.
The Met Office said: “A spell of heavy rain will move northeastwards across Northern Ireland during Monday afternoon, 10-20mm of rain is expected to fall widely with 20-30mm in a few areas and as much as 40mm over high ground.”
This was immediately followed by a status yellow warning for wind and rain for all of Northern Ireland for all of today.
A separate amber warning for wind is in place for the north and east of the region between 5am and 9pm on Tuesday.
NI Water said that Silent Valley Mountain Park will be closed all Tuesday.
In the Republic of Ireland, Met Eireann has issued a yellow-level warning for rain in Carlow, Kilkenny, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, and Waterford between midnight and 11pm today.
There is also a yellow-level warning for wind for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Meath, Wexford, Wicklow, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Kerry, and Waterford between 5am and 11pm.
Meteorologist Rebecca Cantwell said Chandra will bring “heavy spells of rain with strong winds, especially along the coast”.
With rain falling on already saturated ground and many rivers approaching or exceeding bank-full conditions, Ms Cantwell said localised flooding is expected.
Met Eireann said its warnings are likely to be updated.
Several weather warnings have been issued across the UK, including amber warnings for south-west England.