Storm Ellen hit Ireland last night and we gave some tips on how to stay safe. It was been given STATUS RED in Cork and many other coastal areas were STATUS ORANGE.
Today there are still issues with power cuts and falling trees so you still need to be very careful.
You can lots of great advice on how to stay safe during the storms here:
Once you are indoors why not learn a bit more about storms. Maybe you want to know what the difference is between YELLOW and RED warnings?
Or do you want know a bit more about the Beaufort Scale, that is used to estimate wind strength.
Weather Warnings are presented in three categories by Met Éireann.
STATUS YELLOW – Weather Alert – Be Aware
The concept behind YELLOW level weather alerts is to notify those who are at risk because of their location and/or activity, and to allow them to take preventative action. It is implicit that YELLOW level weather alerts are for weather conditions that do not pose an immediate threat to the general population, but only to those exposed to risk by nature of their location and/or activity.
STATUS ORANGE – Weather Warning – Be Prepared
This category of ORANGE level weather warnings is for weather conditions which have the capacity to impact significantly on people in the affected areas. The issue of an Orange level weather warning implies that all recipients in the affected areas should prepare themselves in an appropriate way for the anticipated conditions.
STATUS RED – Severe Weather Warning – Take Action
The issue of RED level severe weather warnings should be a comparatively rare event and implies that recipients take action to protect themselves and/or their properties; this could be by moving their families out of the danger zone temporarily; by staying indoors; or by other specific actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the weather conditions.
The Beaufort Scale was devised by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort in 1805/06. It is a way of estimating the wind strength according to the appearance of the sea (or on land, largely by the response of trees).
It goes from Force 0 all the way up to force 12, which is a HURRICANE.
The STATUS RED warning for tonight is as follows from Met Éireann...
Gale to storm force winds, southeast veering southwest, this evening and tonight on all Irish coastal waters and on the Irish Sea. Winds will reach violent storm force 11 for a time on coasts from Carnsore point to Valentia to Slyne Head.
As the storms are often strongest along coastal areas the Irish Coast Guard have given this advice.
.@MetEireann has Weather Warnings coming into effect plus very high Spring Tides approaching Highest Astronomical Tide in all coastal areas.
— Irish Coast Guard (@IrishCoastGuard) August 19, 2020
The Coast Guard strongly advises the public to stay away from exposed beaches, cliffs and piers during storm conditions.#StormEllen pic.twitter.com/IUczf9uq3i
