Met Éireann issue an update on the country-wide weather warning as Storm Deirdre approaches

A country-wide weather warning has been updated as Storm Deirdre is set to bring "disruptive and damaging gusts" to Ireland.

The status orange wind warning comes into effect at 3pm today - and is one of the three weather warnings issued for Saturday. A Met Éireann forecaster said that the storm will "move quickly across the country this afternoon and evening. It will get worse as the evening goes on, with "disruptive and damaging gusts" expected in some parts of the country. They said:

"Storm Deirdre will move quickly across the country this afternoon and evening and will move through the Irish Sea early tonight. "It will give some squally, damaging winds in all areas for a short period of time. "In Munster and Connacht winds will peak mid to late afternoon, depending on location and in Leinster and Ulster in the early evening. "West to northwest winds 55 to 65 km/h will gust 100 to 110 km/h generally, but some gusts will reach up to 130 km/h in exposed locations."

Meanwhile, another weather warning was issued for Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Donegal, Cork and Waterford. The status yellow wind warning - which will see southeast winds will reach mean speeds 55 to 65km/h with gusts to 100km/h - began at 3am this morning and will remain in effect until 6pm this evening. And a status yellow rainfall warning for all of Ireland remains in place.