27 November 2018: The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is asking road users to exercise caution while using the roads on Wednesday as Met Éireann has issued an orange weather warning for strong winds for Ireland as Storm Diana approaches.
The counties that will be most affected are Wexford, Galway, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford.
Severe winds associated with Storm Diana on Wednesday: South to southwest winds of 65 to 80 km/h will gust 110 to 130 km/h. High Seas also, with a risk of coastal flooding from 06.00 – 14.00.
The RSA is asking road users to check local weather and traffic conditions and be aware of the conditions before setting out on a trip.
There is additionally a nationwide yellow weather warning for Wednesday as gale force winds with south to southwest winds of 55 to 65 km/h gusting 90 to 110 km/h from 05.00 – 16.00
The RSA has the following advice for road users:
· Beware of objects being blown out onto the road. Expect the unexpected.
· Watch out for falling/fallen debris on the road and vehicles veering across the road
· Control of a vehicle may be affected by strong cross winds. High sided vehicles and motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to strong winds
· Allow extra space between you and vulnerable road users such as cyclists and motorcyclists
· Drive with dipped headlights at all times
Advice to Pedestrians, Cyclists and motorcyclists;
· Be seen. Wear bright clothing with reflective armbands or a reflective belt.
· Take extra care when crossing the road or cycling in extremely windy conditions as a sudden gust of wind could blow you into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
For advice on using the road in severe weather, please see severe weather advice on the RSA website or check out the RSA Facebook andTwitter pages.
See video created in collaboration with Teresa Mannion with advice for driving in strong winds here.
Please also see suite of videos focusing on driving in severe weather here.
For more weather updates, visit Met Eireann’s website: www.met.ie