Storm Dennis: Yellow weather warnings for Northern Ireland come into force

The UK Met Office stated 'The warning area has been extended to cover more of western Scotland and also to include the whole of Northern Ireland.'

'Northern Ireland can expect strong winds and rain through the weekend and into the start of next week which may lead to some travel disruption.'

The warning for Saturday starts at 7:00am and will run until 8:00pm on Saturday evening.

Meanwhile Met Eireann has issued wind and rain warnings for the weekend

Status Yellow - Wind warning for Ireland

Very squally Southerly winds veering Southwesterly with mean speeds 50 to 65 km/hr gusts to around 100 km/hr, strongest on exposed coasts and hills. Winds moderating from the Northwest later.

Valid: 03:00 Saturday 15/02/2020 to 20:00 Saturday 15/02/2020

Issued: 11:00 Friday 14/02/2020

Status Yellow - Rainfall warning for Ireland

Spells of heavy, locally thundery rain, on Saturday will lead to some flooding.

Valid: 06:00 Saturday 15/02/2020 to 21:00 Saturday 15/02/2020

Issued: 11:00 Friday 14/02/2020

What to expect:

Bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer

Spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer

It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities affected by spray and/or large waves

Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely

Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer

Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely

Flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely

What next:

After a short respite a second Met Office yellow warning for wind and rain comes into force.

This runs from 12noon on Sunday through to 12noon on Monday.

The Met Office states, 'Potential for very strong winds to develop in association with Storm Dennis. The location and strength of the strongest winds is uncertain at this stage, but there is a small chance that winds will gust up to 70 mph for a time. More typically winds will gusts to 50 mph at times. The strongest winds could also coincide with the Monday morning peak travel period.'

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

Windy on Sunday with showers, strong to gale southwesterly winds. Bright with showers on Monday and Tuesday but becoming less windy.

Stay up to date with all of the weather forecasts and warnings in your area by visiting: www.metoffice.gov.uk