Don’t leave for the airport until you check with your airline.

That’s the advice from Cork Airport this morning as the country braces for the impact of Storm Lorenzo, the effects of which will begin to be felt across Ireland from midday Thursday.

Met Éireann removed Cork from Status Orange alert early this morning, but the weather warning remains in place for five counties, with violent gusts of up to 130km/h expected to hit Kerry, Mayo, Clare, Galway and Limerick.

All flights are operating to schedule in Cork, although Aer Lingus warned delays and cancellations “may be unavoidable on Thursday and Friday”.

Cork Airport Communications Manager Kevin Cullinane said that passengers are advised to check with their transport operator for the latest departure times and any important notices.

Significant improvement overnight with @MetEireann just releasing a new update at 06.45 and the Cork Area has gone from Status Orange to Yellow as per below. We will meet internally with our Airline partners this morning and issue regular updates throughout the day. #stormlorenzo pic.twitter.com/3khDgAT3j5

— Cork Airport (@CorkAirport) October 3, 2019

Motorists have been advised to take extra care en route to the airport too, with widespread flooding and tree damage also likelyin the coming days.

Cork City Council has extended the current flood warning in the usual locations in the City Centre (South Terrace, Morrison’s Quay, Fr Matthew Quay, Trinity Bridge, Union Quay, Wandesford Quay, Frenche’s Quay, Crosses Green, Lavitt’s Quay, Kyrl’s Quay).

Meteorologist Evelyn Cusack told RTÉ News that because the trees are still in full leaf at this time of year, we can expect a higher impact than we generally see in winter storms.