ALERT: Storm Antoni to hit Ireland this August Bank Holiday weekend with heavy rain and strong winds

Storm Antoni could become the first and possibly last of the officially declared Irish storms of the 2022/23 storm season when it hits Ireland over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Met Éireann jointly names storms with its partners in the UK and the Netherlands. On this occasion, the UK Met Office has given storm status and a name to the low-pressure system which it forecasts to bring strong winds and rain on Saturday.

It says that from late Friday night and into Saturday, Storm Antoni will bring strong winds and a spell of heavy rain which has resulted in the issuing of weather warnings.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Willington said: “Storm Antoni will bring some potentially disruptive weather on Saturday as it moves from west to east". MORE BELOW TWEET.

#StormAntoni has been named and is forecast to bring unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain to the UK on Saturday

Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/ilyBMhrWFV

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 4, 2023

Met Éireann has also issued warnings for the weekend with the worst of conditions set to hit on Friday night going into Saturday.

Met Éireann meteorologist Aoife Kealy commented that: “A low pressure system will approach the country on Friday and that will drive outbreaks of rain eastwards across us Friday evening and night. That rain will turn heavy in places overnight and on Saturday morning, which could lead to spot flooding. The low pressure system will also bring strong and gusty northwest winds, especially in the southwest and south.”

She added that the low pressure system will gradually move into the Irish Sea on Saturday, with scattered showers following from the northwest.

“That low will clear to the east on Saturday afternoon, and a mix of sunshine and showers will follow for later Saturday and Sunday. It’ll be a brighter day on Sunday with more in the way of dry spells,” said Ms Kealy.

She said Sunday is looking like the best day of the weekend – another low-pressure system will cross the country on Monday, bringing further rainfall.

Every county except Limerick has been placed under at rain or wind warning starting from 8pm on Friday to noon on Saturday.

The national weather outlook from Met Éireann is for a rather mixed August Bank Holiday weekend. It will be Wet and windy for a time Friday night and Saturday morning with yellow level rain and wind warnings in operation, followed by sunshine and showers with further persistent rain coming through on Monday. MORE BELOW TWEET.

Spells of heavy rain from Friday afternoon to Saturday morning⚠️️

Possible impacts:

Spot flooding

Poor visibility

Difficult travelling conditions⤵️https://t.co/l8JdKfxxiH pic.twitter.com/n9PIL3oTsf

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) August 3, 2023

The naming of Storm Antoni comes just a few weeks before the 2023/24 Storm Season names are revealed via a public poll that expires on August 4. The new storm season starts in September. Remarkably, it's the only official storm to hit Ireland or the UK since September 2022. 

However, other European forecasters do give weather systems storm status and Antoni is the second Atlantic storm in the space of a week. French forecasters named a weather system in recent days Storm Patricia. It caused stormy conditions in France and has driven down temperatures in Spain. More details on the storm and Bank Holiday weekend weather are below tweet.

⚠️️Storm Season 2023-2024 will commence in September ️⚠️

Help us choose the name for letter "A"

The most voted name will be selected for potentially the first storm of the season! ️️

️ the poll will close next Friday 4th August ⌛️

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) July 28, 2023

National Forecast issued on Friday, August 4 at 5:25am.

Friday: Mainly dry and bright to begin today, Friday, with sunny spells and isolated showers. Cloud will gradually thicken with outbreaks of rain developing in the west and southwest this afternoon, extending eastwards later, with spot flooding likely. Highs of 15 to 18 degrees. Light to moderate westerly breezes will back south to southeast later.

Cloudy and wet on Friday night with outbreaks of heavy rain, giving rise to spot flooding. It will turn windy at times overnight, especially in the southwest towards dawn. Lowest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees.

Saturday: Wet and blustery to begin on Saturday, windiest across southern parts of the country, with outbreaks of rain, heavy at times, clearing eastwards through the morning. Brighter and drier conditions with scattered showers in the west will gradually extend to all parts by the early afternoon. Strong and gusty northwest winds in the south, moderate to fresh elsewhere, will ease by the early afternoon. Highs of 14 to 18 degrees.

Dry in many areas on Saturday night with clear spells with showers becoming increasingly confined to Atlantic coastal counties. Lowest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees in light to moderate westerly winds.

Sunday: Sunday will be a bright day with a mix of sunshine and showers. The showers will be heaviest and most frequent in north and east. Maximum temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees in light to moderate west to northwest breezes.

Mostly dry on Sunday night with clear spells and just a few showers in the northwest. Cloud will thicken in the west and southwest overnight with patchy rain and drizzle developing towards dawn. Lowest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in light southwest or variable breezes.

Bank Holiday Monday: Cloudy or becoming mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain in the west and southwest spreading to all areas through the afternoon and evening. The rain will be heavy in places, with potential for spot flooding. Cool for the time of year, with maximum temperatures of just 14 to 17 degrees in light to moderate southerly winds, fresh to strong at times near western and southwestern coasts.

Further outbreaks of rain and drizzle on Monday night, becoming lighter and patchier as the night goes on. Lowest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees with light to moderate southwest or variable winds.