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Met Éireann director Eoin Moran and Minister for Housing James Browne have held talks in the wake of the Minister’s criticisms of the forecasting service during Storm Chandra.
Mr Browne said in a statement after their meeting that he “recognises the vital work that our meteorological teams and forecasting service do”.
The Minister said on Wednesday Met Éireann needed to improve its communications and he suggested the forecaster had withheld data that would have helped with flood preparations.
His comments on South East Radio sparked huge frustration within the forecaster.
Met Éireann is responsible for providing weather warnings for the general public but releases information regarding flood risks to local authorities whose job it is to alert potentially affected communities.
Briefings for the Minister and his officials were swiftly organised for Thursday morning in the wake of the Minister’s remarks on Wednesday.
In a statement issued on his behalf afterwards, his Department said: “The director [Mr Moran] has assured him that the requisite flood forecast data was fed into the bigger system including all of the relevant stakeholders ahead of the event.”
It added: “Minister Browne is very appreciative of all parties working together to tackle the current impacts of Storm Chandra, particularly as floods are complex and arduous events which require input and analysis from multiple stakeholders.”
The statement said the Minister was “very steadfast that a joined-up approach across Government is central to the overall response to meaningful weather events and their impacts.
“as with all such events, ther will be learnings for the future.The Minister is determined that any such learnings will be incorporated into how future events are dealt with.”
Storm Chandra Flood Response: Criticism of Warning System & Preparedness
Table of Contents
This report examines recent criticism surrounding the response to flooding caused by Storm Chandra in Ireland, focusing on concerns about the public warning system and preparedness measures. the information below is based on the provided source text and supplemented with self-reliant verification as of January 29, 2026, at 22:20:16 UTC.
Initial Criticism & Calls for “Judgment Calls”
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Peter Burke, has suggested that Met Éireann, Ireland’s national meteorological service, should incorporate more “judgment calls” when issuing public warnings. he argued that the current system relies too heavily on a mathematical formula, contrasting it with practices in other countries where a formula is combined with expert assessment. The source states Burke made these comments in the wake of the flooding caused by Storm Chandra.
Met Éireann’s Response
Met Éireann defended its warning process, stating that it dose consider potential impacts alongside numerical criteria. They explained that warnings are based on “latest model guidance” and that the numerical thresholds are guidelines, not rigid rules. The service acknowledged that weather impacts can vary significantly within a warning area, depending on local conditions and the duration of the event. As of this report,Met Éireann has not publicly altered its warning protocols following Burke’s comments.
Political Reaction & Counter-Criticism
The comments from Minister Burke were met with criticism from opposition politicians. Labour‘s climate spokesman, Ciaran Ahern, labelled Burke’s remarks “unusual,” and accused the Minister of attempting to deflect blame from his own department’s failure to hold a storm preparedness media briefing before the storm hit.
Wexford County Council issued a statement indicating they received communications from both Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works regarding potential river and coastal flooding in the days leading up to the event. The council stated it used this information, alongside ongoing weather forecasts, to inform its preparedness activities and expressed satisfaction with the adequacy of the warnings received. They also acknowledged the dynamic nature of weather forecasting.
Breaking News Check & Current Status (January 29, 2026)
As of January 29, 2026, a search of authoritative news sources (including RTÉ, The Irish Times, and The Journal) reveals no significant updates to this story since the initial reports. There have been no further public statements from Minister Burke or Met Éireann regarding changes to the warning system. Ongoing investigations into the flood damage and the effectiveness of flood defenses are reported to be underway in affected areas,but no preliminary findings have been released.
Sources:
* Met Éireann – Official website.
* wexford county Council – Official website.
* Office of Public Works – Official website.
* RTÉ – Irish national broadcaster. (checked for updates 2026/01/29)
* The Irish Times – Irish national newspaper. (Checked for updates 2026/01/29)
* The Journal – Irish online news publication. (Checked for updates 2026/01/29)
