A major improvement on yesterday…

A quick look outside your window will tell you that the worst of Storm Barra has passed. Even so, there are still some risks associated with today’s weather.

Cork – along with the rest of Ireland – is still officially facing a status yellow weather warning for both wind and rain. Met Éireann has forecasted “widespread mean speeds of 50 to 65 km/h and gusts of 90 to 110 km/h, with localised stronger winds likely.”

“Heavy rain will also bring risks of surface flooding and, due to a combination of high waves, storm surge and high tide, coastal flooding is expected. Disruption to power and travel are likely.” The warning will remain in place until 6pm.

There is also a status orange storm warning in place for all Irish coastal waters, due to winds that  “will reach storm force 10 during Wednesday on all Irish coastal waters and the Irish Sea, reaching violent storm force 11 from Erris Head to Rossan Point to Malin Head.”

Gardaí continue to warn Cork motorists about hazards they may face on the roads, such as fallen trees and debris, flood water, and dangerous conditions due to wind and rain.

A decision was made on Tuesday evening to advise schools in Cork to remain closed, even as the weather slowly improves. As of yesterday evening, 38,000 Irish properties were still without electricity, including several clusters in Cork. According to ESB Powercheck, many properties remain without power for the time being.

Following a raft of cancellations yesterday, departures from Cork Airport are mostly back on track.