Status Orange wind warning issued for Mayo ahead of Storm Lorenzo

A status orange wind warning has been issued for Mayo and five other counties with a status yellow warning in place nationwide between tomorrow evening and Friday morning when Storm Lorenzo is expected to make landfall in Ireland.

The Status Orange warning for Mayo, Galway, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick is valid from 6 p.m. on Thursday to 3 a.m. on Friday.

During this period, southwesterly winds veering westerly will reach mean speeds 65 to 80km/h with gusts generally of 100 to 130km/h, higher in coastal regions.

Storm surges will produce coastal flooding and damage.

A meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group to discuss nationwide preparations for the expected arrival of the storm is taking place in Dublin today.

Lorenzo - the most northerly and most easterly large hurricane ever to form over the Atlantic Ocean - is now headed straight for Ireland.

The storm, which is currently a Category 1 hurricane, is expected to weaken considerably along the way but will still bring fierce winds, heavy rains, and very high seas to Ireland where it is due to make landfall tomorrow evening.

The worst affected areas are expected to be counties Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Sligo.

The storm is expected to move rapidly across the country tomorrow night and Friday morning, bringing down trees and power lines as well as causing flooding.