Met Eireann have issued an Orange weather warning this morning as thunderstorms and hail showers hit the country.
The warning was issued at 7am this morning as areas across the midlands and east were hit by violent showers of rain and hail.
There is a Yellow weather warning for marine areas with southwesterly gales gusting up to 100km/h.
Ireland is set for a blowy rather than a snowy Christmas as forecasters warn of storms over the festive period.
If it is a white Christmas you're looking for then you probably need to be in the north-west, where potential for snow is highest on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Met Eireann forecaster David Rodgers said the weather would be so volatile over the next five days "anything could happen". There is also the potential for another "significant" storm, and potential power cuts, on Monday as low pressure from the Atlantic sweeps across the west and north-west.
ESB networks said staff had been put on standby to work through Christmas if outages occurred.
A storm blasted across the country last night with wind gusts of up to 120km/h.
Power was cut to homes in Donegal, Kerry, Mayo, Westmeath and Louth.
Motorists throughout the country faced difficult driving conditions, with traffic at a standstill in many cities and regional towns on the last shopping Friday before Christmas.
Irish Ferries have been forced to cancel many of their fast ferry services over the weekend due to weather conditions, though passengers will be accommodated on their regular ships.
The Jonathan Swift and MV Epsilon sailings on the Dublin to Holyhead route have been cancelled today and tomorrow. While a company spokesman said they are sailing with "full ships," there was still "plenty of capacity" to accommodate passengers on the MV Ulysses Holyhead service and the Isle of Inishmore on the Rosslare-Pembroke route in case of further disruption there.
Passengers have been advised to keep in touch via the Irish Ferries website.
In Cork, there were very strong cross winds and stormy conditions in many areas especially around Kealkill, Bantry, Drimoleague and Dunmanway. In Donegal, drivers were told to take extra care due to icy conditions on the N15 between Donegal and Ballybofey.
SOURCE-IRISH INDEPENDENT
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