Marine warnings issued as Storm Amy approaches

Met Éireann has issued a series of marine warnings for Irish coastal waters as Storm Amy is forecast to bring strong to gale force winds over the coming days.

The warnings, which extend from Mizen Head to Malin Head and Carnsore Point, as well as covering the Irish Sea, are largely associated with Storm Amy, which is expected to track close to Ireland’s northwest and northern coasts later this week.

A Status Yellow small craft warning is currently in effect, with southerly winds, veering westerly, reaching force 6 or higher. This warning remains valid until 9am on Thursday.

From Thursday morning, a fresh small craft warning will cover all Irish coasts, again with southerly winds veering westerly reaching force 6 or above, lasting through to Friday morning, October 3rd.

In addition, two gale warnings have been issued:

• From 5pm Thursday until midnight Friday, strong southerly winds in the Irish Sea and along coasts from Fair Head to Carlingford Lough to Carnsore Point are expected to reach gale force 8.
• A broader gale warning for all coasts of Ireland and the Irish Sea will then take effect from 9am Friday until 3pm Saturday, with southerly winds veering westerly expected to reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9 at times.

Met Éireann has cautioned that seas will be very rough through this period, with difficult conditions for all marine traffic.

Storm Amy is forecast to deepen in the Atlantic before passing close to Ireland’s northwest and north coasts late Thursday into Friday, bringing periods of heavy rain and widespread strong winds.