Heavy Rain and Strong Winds Forecast for Cork Tomorrow
Expect flooding, poor visibility and treacherous driving conditions in the early hours.
Cork faces a day of likely severe weather tomorrow with heavy morning rain, thundery afternoon showers and potentially damaging winds reaching up to 115 km/h along the coast. Multiple weather services are warning of possible power outages and travel disruption.
A deep Atlantic low pressure system will bring the first wave of heavy rain to Cork before dawn tomorrow, Sunday 14 September. Rain rates could reach 6 to 10 mm per hour with brief torrential bursts, whilst southeasterly winds strengthen rapidly overnight.
The morning commute will be particularly challenging, with poor visibility on exposed routes and standing water likely on many roads. Winds will gust between 70 to 90 km/h along the coast and 40 to 60 km/h inland during the early hours.
Cathal Nolan from Ireland's Weather Channel warned:
"Strong to gale force winds are expected to develop through tomorrow evening and into Monday with some locally damaging gusts possible along exposed Atlantic coastal counties, with winds strong enough inland to cause some localised disruption to public services."
Relief will be short-lived as the main rain band clears eastward by early afternoon. Behind the cold front, a rapid succession of heavy, blustery showers will sweep in from the southwest, some turning thundery with localised downpours delivering another 5 to 10 mm per hour.
The strongest winds are forecast between 17:00 tomorrow evening and 16:00 on Monday afternoon. Coastal areas could experience gusts exceeding 110 km/h, whilst inland areas may see gusts over 80 km/h.
Nick Critch from Weather Alerts Ireland cautioned:
"Being early autumn there is a risk of some disruption on the Monday morning commute. Please tie down garden furniture and other loose items."
Met Éireann forecasts temperatures reaching 16 to 18 degrees tomorrow, with the wet and windy conditions continuing into Sunday night as widespread showers persist.
Local impacts are expected to include power outages, particularly in western areas, potential disruption to ferry services, possible flight delays from smaller airports, and fallen trees or branches. The ESB and local authorities are likely monitoring the situation closely.
Cork motorists should allow extra time for journeys, especially during the morning hours, and avoid unnecessary travel on exposed routes during the evening period when winds will be strongest.
