​Storm Ciaran likely to cause flooding and transport disruption for Northern Ireland due to already saturated ground, says Met Office

A spokesman for the Met Office told the News Letter that Storm Ciaran will not hit Northern Ireland as hard as England and Wales – but that flooding and disruption here are still expected.

“Northern Ireland is most likely to largely have residual impacts from Storm Ciaran, with southern England and Wales more likely to see the peak wind speeds and rainfall amounts from late on Wednesday and into Thursday,” he said.

However, even before Storm Ciaran arrives, Northern Ireland will also be impacted by some frontal rain overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.

The forecaster said 30-50mm of rain is possible during this period in parts of the east of Northern Ireland, with 15-25mm more widely.

"As this is falling on very saturated ground, this creates an additional challenge for flooding and transport disruption,” he said. “Things should gradually dry out for much of Northern Ireland later on Wednesday, though it will still feel largely unsettled.

“By Thursday, when Storm Ciaran will be centred over southern England, Northern Ireland is likely to largely have a drier day, though some showers could brush eastern coasts for a time, as well as some breezy conditions early on.

“The set up for the weekend for Northern Ireland is for a largely unsettled weekend, with periods of rain arriving from the west, though there are likely to be some drier interludes at times.”

However the Met Office has issued much more serious amber weather warnings for much of the south coast of England for Thursday, with Ciaran threatening to batter parts of the country.

The forecaster warned that very strong north-westerly winds could disrupt travel and cause structural damage to buildings there, while flying debris could bring a danger to life.

Gusts are likely to reach 70mph-80mph in some areas and may exceed 85mph in a few of the most exposed English Channel coastal spots.

Roads, bridges and railway lines may also close while trains and planes are at risk of delays.

The Met Office said there is also potential for large waves and beach material to be thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

The amber weather warning for the South West of England and Pembrokeshire in Wales is in place from 3am to 1pm on Thursday. On the rest of the south coast of England, it is in place from 6am to 8pm on Thursday.

Yellow warnings for wind and rain are already in place across parts of the UK between Wednesday and Friday.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said Storm Ciaran was "likely to be a notch down" in intensity from Storm Babet, but flooding could still occur because the ground is "so laden with water" and river levels "are at their highest".

The meteorologist told Sky News the key features of Storm Ciaran would be "wind damage" and a "lot of rain", adding the rain would "slowly move northward".

Ms Nasir said the storm would impact southern areas of the UK on Wednesday evening as it approaches, as well as on Thursday morning during rush hour, before it tracks northwards.

"We could see some coastal flooding because the winds will be so strong, particularly initially across more southern areas," she added.

"It's not a fast-moving system, so it's going to be with us for at least two-and-a-half, if not three, days and most places will be impacted in some shape or form by this storm."

Flooding hit parts of Northern Ireland on Tuesday after a night of heavy rain in the region.

As the weather warnings remain in place until Thursday, DFI reminded the NI public of the flooding incident line on 0300 2000 100.

The Emergency Payment scheme for flooding is also active in NI. Householders who have suffered severe inconvenience from flooding can claim £1,000 payment through their local council.