Met Éireann has warned that Storm Gertrude will bring severe winds to Ireland and the UK overnight and into tomorrow morning.

It has issued a wind warning for parts of the country to take effect from midnight until 9am tomorrow with southwesterly winds gusting up to 130km/h at times.

The Status Orange warning - the second highest level - means that weather conditions could impact significantly on people living in the affected areas of Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Dublin, Longford, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford.

Gusts of between 65-130km/h are expected overnight with northern and western coastal areas the worst affected. 

Elsewhere, a Status Yellow warning has been issued for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon, Limerick and Tipperary, where winds of between 50-110km/h are forecast overnight.

A Status Yellow weather advisory warning has also been issued for the country as a whole

It comes as Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe said funding of €106 million is now available to repair the damage to transport infrastructure arising from recent storms and severe flooding.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Donohoe said most counties have given estimates for flood damages.

Local authorities will nominate the projects and the allocation of monies will be made by his department in the coming weeks, he added.

However, Mr Donohoe said that there will not be a long process in allocating the money, adding “election or not these roads have to be fixed”.

The funding was agreed with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin.

Relief measures for farmers announced

Meanwhile, an Emergency Flood Damage Relief measure has been announced for farmers in areas most severely affected by recent floods.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said the scheme would target a small number of farmers who experienced additional difficulties due to the location of their farms, and particularly their farmyards, in areas that bore the brunt of the floods.

The aim is to provide financial assistance to cover issues such as uninsured loss of livestock, rental costs for moving animals to alternative land and in some cases, damage to structures and fittings.

"It is not possible to address all circumstances of flood damage to farms but the measures I have announced today will specifically target those that have borne the brunt of the flooding," Mr Coveney said.

He said 141 farmers have benefitted under the Emergency Welfare scheme, where 380 tonnes, or €110,000 worth of feed was allocated.

Over 330 applications have been received for the Fodder Aid Scheme

2016 and on-farm verification on these applications will occur this week with payments processed as visits are completed.