Storm’s a comin’… ferocious Barney batters Ireland with 125km/h winds

A weather warning has now been issued by Met Éireann – with areas in Dublin, Wicklow, Galway, Clare, Kerry and Limerick being told that west to southwest gusts will reach speeds of 100-125 km/h this afternoon.

The ferocious conditions are expected to continue into tonight. It's all part of Storm Barney – the successor to the recent Storm Abigail.

The Met Office in the UK has furthermore warned that the unsettled weather could disrupt flights from Heathrow and Gatwick airports – potentially causing travel chaos for thousands of Irish people. 

Meanwhile, Met Éireann forecaster Willemien Phelan warned last night: "A depression is forming in the Atlantic and an orange weather warning is likely to be put in place. We will be monitoring it closely.

Meteorologist Mark takes a closer look at #StormBarney https://t.co/ljVAGXoeTY

— Met Office (@metoffice) November 16, 2015

"The southern half of the country will be mostly affected. It will hit from 10am onwards.

"There will be very strong winds in Munster and south Leinster. The winds will peak in early afternoon with the southern half of the country definitely feeling it."

Over the weekend, the tail-end of Storm Abigail resulted in significant flooding in Donegal, while heavy rain also caused damage in Wales and north-east England.