Some schools shut, flights cancelled and events off as Met Éireann issues nationwide orange warning

Ellen O'Donoghue

Met Éireann has extended an orange weather warning to the entire country.

It comes as Storm Bram makes landfall, bringing very strong to gale force southerly winds with severe gusts.

The track of the storm means forecasters have put in place rolling orange wind warnings throughout the day.

#StormBram will bring very windy or stormy conditions to Ireland today.

Southerly winds, veering westerly through the day, will be very strong to gale force, with some damaging gusts also expected⚠️

Persistent & heavy rain at first will gradually clear to scattered showers☔️ pic.twitter.com/eKw5gUeeiR

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 9, 2025

Rolling weather warnings

Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford are under an orange wind warning until 4pm. This was originally set to expire at 3pm, but has since been extended.

Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, and all of Connacht are under an orange wind warning until 7pm. That warning started at 11am.

Co Donegal will be under the weather warning from 2pm until 9pm.

The entire country has been under a yellow wind warning from 6am, and will be until 9pm.

Impacts of the storm will likely include flooding of low-lying coastal areas, especially during high tide, wave overtopping, difficult travel conditions, debris and loose objects being displaced, power outages and impacts on outdoor events.

A status yellow rain warning was in place on Monday night in Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford, and expired at 9am.

A day to be 'very, very careful'

After a week of persistent rain, Met Éireann has said soils across the country are already highly saturated and many rivers are approaching bank-full conditions, so any additional rainfall is likely to result in surface and river flooding.

Keith Leonard, national director for Fire and Emergency Management, told RTE radio he expects a “significant impact” on power, particularly across south-western coastal areas.

Met Éireann forecaster Gerry Kelly said it was a day to be “very, very careful”.

He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: “It is going to be a very windy day everywhere, and there is certainly a possibility for all areas to reach those levels for a time.”

He particularly highlighted a risk of coastal flooding in the south of the country during high tide on Tuesday morning.

In Northern Ireland, the UK Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for the entire region between 9am and 10pm.

A more severe amber warning for wind is in place for the western part of Northern Ireland, applying to counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Derry, and Tyrone between 2pm and 7pm.

The Met Office advised the public to expect delays to transport services and further warned that cancellations are possible.

It added that there was a chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris, as well as damage to buildings and power outages.

Forecasters said gusts of around 50-60 mph are possible fairly widely across the region, and potentially in excess of 70mph for some exposed headlands and areas of high ground.

Travel disruption

The storm has already resulted in some travel disruption with Emerald Airlines has “preemptively” cancelled a number of flights from its Tuesday schedule, according to Dublin Airport.

The airport said other airlines have indicated “that they continue to monitor the situation”.

Thus far, 42 flights into and out of Dublin Airport have been cancelled.

Storm Bram has led to four cancelled flights and one diversion at Cork Airport this morning.

Two departing flights at Shannon Airport have been delayed, while one arrival has been cancelled.

A number of flights have also been cancelled at Belfast City Airport due to the storm.

As of 9.30am it was the worst-affected UK airport where at least 18 departures and arrivals were grounded, most of them were Aer Lingus regional flights.

British Airways also cancelled a number of departures from London Heathrow to Belfast City Airport.

Amendments have been made for domestic travel as Waterford train station closed due to flooding.

Bus transfers are being arranged to operate between Kilkenny and Waterford.

Cancelled events

Today’s race at Punchestown has also been cancelled due to Storm Bram.

Information on rescheduling will follow.

The poor weather has resulted in the closure of the Belfast Christmas Market on Tuesday.

Organisers said: “We recognise this may be disappointing, however the safety of our visitors and traders is of the utmost importance.

“At the moment the plan is to reopen on Wednesday December 10, however this is weather dependent.”

Management at the Cliffs of Moher confirmed the site would remain closed today, as will Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.

Muckross House and Killarney House in the Killarney National Park are both closed today, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have said.

In Cork, Cork County Council has cancelled the Macroom Christmas Market due to be held in the Square today due to the status orange weather warning.

School closures

A large number of primary and secondary schools, as well as creche facilities, have also closed due to Storm Bram.

In the case of an orange warning, the decision to close lies with the school management authority. However, if a red warning was in place, schools would automatically have to close.

In particular areas such as Sligo, Galway and Donegal, a large number of schools have closed.

Mayo College of Further Education and Training has also said it will remain closed today because of the storm.

Additional reporting: PA