Met Eireann has issued a Status Orange weather warning for Galway and much of the country as Storm Brendan approaches Ireland.
As Storm Brendan tracks to the northwest of Ireland on Monday southerly winds will reach mean speeds of 65 to 80 km/hr according to Met Eireann.
Coastal areas will be hit with the strongest winds with gusts of up to 130km/hr forecast.
There is a significant risk of coastal flooding due to the combination of high spring tides and storm surge.
The weather warning for Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal will come into effect at 7am on Monday and remain in place until midnight.
A separate orange alert for Wexford, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford is predicting similar winds, but will expire at 3pm on Monday instead.
Galway City Council has said that its weather response team will convene and prepare for any risks.
Much of the east and midlands is covered by a Status Yellow weather warning for Storm Brendan, also in effect from 7am to midnight on Monday.
This forecasts average winds of 50 to 65km/hr and gusts reaching 110km/hr throughout the day.
A weather advisory from Met Eireann states that more weather warnings are likely throughout the coming week.
“We are entering a period of very unsettled weather. Further warnings for strong winds and rainfall are likely to be issued in the coming days.”
“A combination of spring tides and gales may lead to coastal flooding at times,” the weather advisory states.
