TWO counties in Ireland have been issued Status Orange rain warnings that are set to be in place for 24 hours.
Nine other counties have been handed a Status Yellow warning, during what the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) dubbed 'another challenging phase'.
It comes as the NECG met today to continue preparations over the risk of further flooding following the havoc wreaked by Storm Chandra last week.
At-risk areas
Counties Wicklow and Waterford were both issued with a Status Orange warning by Met Éireann today, which predicted spells of very heavy rain falling on already saturated ground.
It warned that the rain, combined with high river levels and high tides, could lead to localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions.
The warning comes into effect at 3am on Thursday and is in place for 24 hours.
During the same period, nine other counties are facing similar conditions from a Status Yellow warning.
The affected counties are Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Wexford, Monaghan and Tipperary.
While Yellow warnings are not uncommon, Orange warnings are more infrequent, with Met Éireann deeming them dangerous and disruptive.
Flooding in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny last week after the River Barrow burst its banks in the heavy rainfall following Storm Chandra (Image: Eamonn Farrell / RollingNews.ie)"After last week's heavy rainfall, many rivers remain close to or above bank-full, with saturated ground conditions leaving catchments highly sensitive to any additional rainfall," said the meteorological service.
"While most rivers have now peaked or stabilised — and some have begun to recede — further rainfall on yesterday and overnight along the south and east coasts has caused slight rises in river levels in these areas."
It added: "Given current river and ground conditions, even moderate rainfall could trigger further localised flooding, particularly in fast-responding catchments and downstream of the Wicklow Mountains — including in counties in the south-east, Kildare and Dublin."
The service also warned that high spring tides over the coming days, combined with strong onshore winds and storm surge, will increase the risk of wave overtopping and coastal flooding.
"Elevated coastal water levels will also restrict river discharge, heightening flood risk in low-lying coastal and estuarine areas, especially around times of high tide," it added.
'Protect communities'
Following today's meeting of the NECG, it predicted further challenging conditions over the coming 48 hours after Storm Chandra led to severe flooding, power outages and ferry cancellations.
“The NECG is warning that we are entering another challenging phase over Thursday and Friday, with orange and yellow rain warnings in place," it warned.
"Significant rainfall is expected in areas already affected by flooding over the last period.
"The NECG has emphasised that, due to river flows, heavy rain in one county can impact on flood-prone areas in another even where less significant rain has fallen due to river flows."
The NECG said local authorities and response agencies had been briefed on the situation and were on standby to take any action necessary to protect those at risk.
"Already, they have been deploying and replenishing sandbags, clearing drains and carrying out other flood prevention works," it said.
"Local authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams are continuing to meet to assess the situation and respond, as needed, to protect communities."
See More: Met Eireann
