11:35: Power outages are ongoing in Waterford city, Kilmacthomas, Inistioge, Rosslare, Carlow town and Cahir. ESB services are working to resolve these problems.
10:44: The National Ploughing Championships will now open an hour later than expected at 12pm.
10.30am update: #StormAli peaked an hour and half later than expected. Plan is now to open gates for 12noon. ##Ploughing18
— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 19, 2018
10:30: A woman has died after the caravan she was sleeping in blew off a cliff near Claddaghduff in Co. Galway during Storm Ali.
The incident is believed to have occurred at 7:45am.
It is understood that the caravan landed on a stretch of coastline rather than the sea.
Emergency services and Cleggan’s Volunteer Coast Guard unit responded to the incident.
Her body is to be sent to University Hospital Galway for a post-mortem examination.
09:38: 4,928 people are now without power in Ballyragget, County Kilkenny.
09:21: Close to 9,000 customers in Kilkenny have been affected by a power outage. The issue has since been fixed.
08:47: A number of flights going out of Dublin Airport have been cancelled.
Flights cancelled from @DublinAirport due to #StormAli Queueing to find out contingency, @FlySWISS already 'auto-rebooked' me for tomorrow, (according to the app!), but am missing my meetings today in Geneva. Why is Area 14 listed on the screen when it doesn't exist anymore? pic.twitter.com/EAvB3b3OWC
— Tara of Ireland (@TaraAOGrady) September 19, 2018
8:41: We may have just hit Status Red. A gust of 139kph has been recorded at Mace Head in Galway.
8:33: Here's the state of play right now.
8:21am:
A Status Orange Wind warning has come into effect for most of the country, as Storm Ali passes over Ireland.
Winds increasing at my station in Carlow with pressure dropping. Gust up to 74kmh now. #StormAli reports of trees falling around the country now. pic.twitter.com/DcNqz1iqZp
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) September 19, 2018
High winds are expected to impact on airport schedules, and motorists are warned to be alert to debris on the roads.
Arwen Foley from AA Roadwatch said: "Make sure you slow down and take care.
High winds due to #StormAli will have an impact on the flight schedule today. Some flights already cancelled. Please check with your airline before coming to the airport. Departures info here https://t.co/2bD7lEWGaJ. Arrivals info here https://t.co/ckiUMjBwFf. pic.twitter.com/bPgNBTFqAv
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) September 19, 2018
"You'll see debris, you may even see some fallen trees and branches and you may also experience high sided vehicles veering into your lane so just take care when overtaking."
Dozens of flights arriving into and departing from Dublin Airport are cancelled or delayed this morning due to the weather.
Delays and cancellations are also expected at Cork and Shannon airports.
Passengers are being advised to check their flight status before travelling to the airport.
Strongest gusts to 7:30am (km/h):
130 Mace Head (Galway)
107 Belmullet (Mayo)
106 Newport (Mayo)
106 Valentia (Kerry)
93 Roches Point (Cork)Airports
85 Knock
82 Casement (Dublin)
76 Cork
67 Dublin
65 Shannon pic.twitter.com/IMC0P6TZbi— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) September 19, 2018
The Status Orange warning came into effect at 5am and covers Atlantic coastal counties from Kerry to Donegal, as well as counties in the north midlands, border and east.
The storm is tracking close to the west and northwest coasts and will then move quickly eastwards during this morning.
Winds will reach average speeds between 65 and 80 km/h with gusts between 110 and 120 km/h for a time.
A Status Yellow Wind warning is in place for the whole country until 5pm this evening with South to southwest winds reaching mean speeds of up 65 km/hr with gusts of up to 110 km/hr - strongest in southern, western and northern coastal counties
