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15th October 2017
01:43pm BST
Hurricane Ophelia is heading straight for Ireland, and it's predicted to be one of the worst storms the country has seen in 50 years.
Met Eireann has issued a status 'red' weather warning for Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork and Kerry - its highest level warning.
Evelyn Cusack @MetEireann briefing the National Emergency Coordination Group meeting on weather developments this am pic.twitter.com/5msYQkhULU
— OEP (@emergencyIE) October 15, 2017
Dublin and the rest of Ireland have been given an 'orange' warning, which means we won't be hit quite so hard but should still be on the alert between 9am on Monday and 3am on Tuesday.
Forecasters are expecting average wind speeds here to be between 65 and 80km/h, with gusts of 110 to 130km/h.
The winds will start off moderate in the afternoon but increase throughout the day, and there is "potential for coastal flooding due to high waves".
As well as dangerous sea conditions there could also be "structural damage and disruption".
Ok, now it's getting scary @DLHarbour #wild pic.twitter.com/Pv6kxY3qWm
— Padraic Hanley (@OuzosDublin) November 17, 2015
It's expected to be worse than all the storms that have battered Dublin in recent years - according to Bloomberg, it could even be as bad as Storm Debbie in 1961, which killed 18 people.
Newtown cove tramore hard to stand still #StormDesmond pic.twitter.com/AOQByxJwyQ
— Leah Burgess ???? (@LeahBurgessIre) December 5, 2015
If you are travelling you should check for cancelled bus routes, trains and flights and be careful on the roads.
And as Teresa Mannion would say, don't make unnecessary journeys.
READ MORE: Here's What You Need To Know For Getting Through Hurricane Ophelia
