ByBarra BestBBC News NI weather presenter- Published11 minutes ago
Weather warnings have been issued across the Republic of Ireland ahead of the arrival of Storm Austen from the Atlantic on Thursday.
The storm is forecast to track to the south coast on Thursday evening into Friday morning bringing the risk of flooding, travel disruption, and potentially dangerous conditions.
While no warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland, Storm Austen is expected to bring widespread rain on Thursday night, clearing east on Friday morning.
An orange warning – the second highest level – for rain has been issued for six counties, including Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford, and Wicklow.
Irish weather service Met Éireann has warned of the potential of flooding, public transport disruption, and very difficult driving conditions.
A nationwide yellow warning for rain and wind has also been issued from 19:00 local time on Thursday to 10:00 on Friday.
The arrival of Storm Austen is unlikely to mark the end of the unsettled weather.
Another area of low pressure is forecast to track to the north of Ireland over the coming weekend, bringing the potential for a further spell of wet and very windy weather right across the island.
While the exact impacts of this second weather system remain uncertain, its arrival means a possibility of several days of changeable and potentially disruptive conditions.
Image caption, More wet and windy weather is forecast for Saturday
How are storms named?
The UK's Met Office, Ireland's Met Éireann, and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) jointly prepare an alphabetic list, external, including public suggestions.
A storm is named when medium or high impacts are expected in one of those countries, helping people recognise and respond to warnings.
When is the storm season?
The storm season runs from 1 September to 31 August, but the main period of storm activity is October to March.
Storms, however, can still occur outside these peak months.
Is climate change making storms stronger or more frequent?
The Met Office reports no clear observed trend in windstorm strength or frequency across the UK, external and wider North Atlantic.
Most projections suggest UK winter windstorms could become slightly more frequent and intense, although uncertainty remains.
Rising sea levels are also expected to worsen coastal flooding from storms.
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