Orange flood and rain warning for Northern Ireland as Storm Austen rolls in

Orange-level warnings for flooding and “intense rain” associated with Storm Austen have been issued for six counties in the Republic of Ireland. The escalated advisory comes on top of a nationwide Yellow-level warning for wind and rain between 7pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday. Met Éireann said Storm Austen will bring heavy rain spreading eastwards across the country. It said: “Strong easterly winds will back north-westerly and strengthen further, especially in the south and south-east.” It warned of impacts to outdoor events, localised flooding and some fallen trees. For the Orange warnings, Met Éireann said flooding is expected and impacts will include very difficult travelling conditions and disruption to public transport. The expected onset of the first Orange warning is 10pm on Thursday, ending 5am the next day for Cork, Kerry and Waterford overlapping with a similar advisory for Dublin, Wexford, and Wicklow between 2am and 8am on Friday. The UK Met Office forecast for Northern Ireland says it will be “breezy with rain early Friday clearing to mostly dry conditions and sunny spells”. It added: “Spells of heavy rain over the weekend with winds strengthening and bringing a risk of gales.” Catch up with the latest UTV Live on ITVX Sign up for our free weekly newsletter here. Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know. Weather forecast for Northern Ireland