Storm hits West Kerry

Atlantic storm hits West Kerry

A bout of severe weather hit West Kerry last night, Sunday the 9th, as an intense Atlantic Storm centred itself over the South West coast of the country. This picture, taken yesterday at approximately 4.30pm at Clochar Strand in the Dún Chaoin area over looking An Fear Marbh of the Blasket Islands, shows the arrival of the storm, which weather experts had predicted would hit the country on Sunday night. Preparations for storm damage were rife throughout the rest of the country, however a knowing calm had settled over West Kerry as people waited for the arrival of the storm, not an uncommon thing in the West by all accounts. Ferocious gusts, bearing southeast to east, later shifting west to northwest battered Dingle and the West, reaching speeds of up to 170km per hour between 6am-8pm this morning. Some structural damage was reported,to sheds, outhouses with a lot of debris, however the area escaped relatively unscathed. A severe gale warning was issued by Met Eireann at 11pm on Monday 10th for overnight gales, however in West Kerry the winds have appeared to abated, for now. There is still a risk of heavy rain and sleet with a risk of local flooding in coastal areas at high tide.