Ireland Flooding: Orange Alerts, Travel Disruption & Work From Home Advice

Flooding Prompts Work-From-Home Advisories and Rail Disruptions Across Ireland

Large areas of Ireland remain on alert for further flooding as heavy rain continues to batter the east and south of the country. The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) has urged workers in Dublin, Louth, Wicklow and Waterford to work from home on Friday if possible, as orange rainfall warnings remain in effect.

The situation has already caused significant disruption, with rail services cancelled and roads flooded. Iarnród Éireann reported that DART services between Dún Laoghaire and Lansdowne Road in Dublin are not running, and the Rosslare line is closed between Enniscorthy and Wexford due to debris. Further disruption to these services is anticipated.

The Clontarf Road, a major commuter route into Dublin city centre, was closed on Thursday afternoon due to flooding. Local authorities are preparing for potential further impacts, with sandbags being made available to homes and businesses at risk.

Keith Leonard, chairman of the NECG, emphasized the ongoing vigilance required. “With the levels of rainfall we’ve seen and with the saturated ground that we have, we’re going to have road flooding, surface flooding and then we’ll see if any premises are affected over the next 24 to 48 hours,” he said. The NECG is scheduled to meet again at noon on Friday, with participation from a humanitarian subgroup and a Liffey catchment area subgroup.

Monitoring efforts are focused on the Liffey, Dodder, and Slaney rivers, as well as coastal areas from Louth to Waterford, due to the combined threat of high tides and continued rainfall. Leonard warned that water flowing down from the Wicklow and Dublin mountains over the weekend could lead to increased river levels in the Liffey and south Dublin areas.

As of Friday morning, a Status Orange rainfall warning remains in place for Waterford until 9am, for Dublin and Wicklow until 3pm, and for Louth until 6pm. Between 25mm and 35mm of rain is expected in these counties. The combination of heavy rain and high spring tides is increasing the risk of both river and coastal flooding.

Yellow rainfall warnings for Carlow, Cavan, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Meath, Monaghan, Tipperary, and Wexford are also in effect, with varying expiration times on Friday. A yellow warning is also in place for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone and Derry in Northern Ireland until midnight on Friday evening.

Iarnród Éireann spokesman Barry Kenny described the flooding on the Dart line as “extreme” and highlighted the need for extensive coastal defences to protect rail infrastructure from the impacts of climate change. He warned of difficult conditions persisting in the coming days due to prolonged rainfall and high tides.

Dublin City Council stated it is “monitoring river levels and coastal conditions closely, to ensure appropriate responses as required.” Wicklow County Council cautioned residents about the potential for wave overtopping in Wicklow town, Bray seafront, and Arklow. Louth County Council warned that Friday’s rainfall is “likely to trigger further flooding, given current ground and river conditions.”

The Department of Social Protection has extended the deadline for applications to the first stage of its Emergency Response Payment scheme to February 18th, in response to the ongoing risk of property damage from severe weather.

Met Éireann climatologist Paul Moore attributed the persistent wet weather to a pattern of high pressure to the east and north of Ireland, which has shifted the jet stream southwards. This is drawing moisture from warmer waters and causing heavy rainfall across several western European countries, including Ireland, Britain, Spain, and Portugal.