⚠️ Storm Éowyn - Fri 24.01.25 (**Please read Mod Instruction in OP.**)

This will change.

I work for an essential services state agency, and certain functions of ours that I haven't seen put on standby since Covid, are now on standby.

Tomorrow a new Taoiseach will probably be elected. That is being done at 9am for a few reasons, but among them is that both the outgoing and incoming Ministers for Housing and Local Government (covering the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management and NECG) and outgoing and incoming Ministers for Defence (covering Civil Defence and Office of Emergency Planning), assuming they are different people, will be briefed and asked to make decisions on a number of contingencies and mandates. Presumably the new Taoiseach and his senior staff will be read-in too, seeing as he's the most senior and most experienced government Minister in the thing anyway.

All non-essential state services will be closed by them on Friday. All day. It will be all day because there is inherent risk in people travelling before and after the Red Warnings. Thats all Third Levels, schools, departments, offices and agencies.

Then, among local authorities and other state agencies the only people on site will be those with a direct role in emergency response and coordination.

Hospitals will be prioritised for power and communications and the Emergency Departments will be cleared tomorrow by admission or discharge. No trollies, no transient patients. Outpatients and electives will be binned.

A mandate will be issued that all private sector public services and commercial entities WILL close for the duration of the Red Warnings and a further update will issue on possibilities for reopening at any point later on Friday, dependent on damage, power issues, road conditions in the aftermath etc. It will be county by county.

A non-essential travel order will issue. Obviously enforcing it will be difficult, but it will be made clear that people travelling do so at their own risk and need not expect a quick emergency response.

Rail services probably won't resume until Saturday due to full route inspections being needed and early sunset on Friday etc.

The Airports will close, on a rolling basis. Many flights will be cancelled at origin to avoid diversions, because alternative airfields will be few and far between for a window of about 12 hours.

High risk bridges and motorway sections will be shut. M1 Boyne Bridge, M50 West Link, N25 Rice Bridge, N25 RFK Bridge, some exposed sections of M4, N5, M6 and others will be barricaded and diverted, only available to emergency services.

County level decisions will be made about roads and bridges of lesser importance, eg the Shannon bridges in Limerick City.

The main thrust of all this, is to keep folk away from fairly unprecedented dangers in the first place, but also to leave the streets clear for any emergency response that may be needed and to make it easier to get inspection and repair crews out as soon as safe to do so when the winds do abate.

Basically, whatever you might have been thinking of doing on Friday, has been or is about to be cancelled for you. Work, play, the lot. If you farm, get as much contingency work as you can do, done by nightfall tomorrow.

Stay safe.

I'm just thinking of all the people living in the caravans in Camp. They might be in Belmullet after this.

Harmonie has also shifted north

For roadside tree's and trees near house's you don't need a license

I'm afraid you haven't seen nothing yet...

If this is as serious as some are thinking, then I don’t really feel like that’s coming across in the media or from government.

The media are usually looking to hype these things but they’re fairly occupied right now with Trump, ceasefires, the dail etc.

yeah, I wasn’t expecting weather like this so early. Had been expecting a calm morning and ramp up much later today —was woken up by a gust at about 5:30am — caused the doors to slam in the middle of the house!

Only 24 hours out now til it starts and it is very ominous. I really hope the powers that be step up the warnings today so that nobody chooses to be out and about tomorrow morning. The RTE news and forecast last night definitely underplayed/miscommunicated the likely ferocity of the storm unless met eireann expect it to be less poweful than the models are showing. Better for the population to be nervous and careful than relaxed and taking undue risks.

I thought Gerry Murphy was fairly explicit in his warnings on the 9 o'clock news last night. Mark Bowe was similarly earnest on Prime Time. What more can you expect

Find it bizarre how some people are oblivious to what's happening.

You can never argue with stupid, so don't try. Look after your own interests.

There will be significant government level communications with the public between 12 Midday and 9pm tomorrow.

This will all change today.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the south east go back to orange looking at the hi res this morning. Moves through very quickly and doesn't really hit red warning speeds at all on the latest Harmonie. Cork not looking very doomsday like either. 110-120kmh gusts there apart from the far west of the county.

Clare Kerry Galway Mayo and across the Midlands will feel the full brunt of this.

Latest ICON also showing the lower wind speeds across the south and south east compared to previous run.

100% that's NOT going to happen.