Met Éireann has warned of damaging wind gusts as Storm Gerrit continues to impact Ireland.
Five southern counties are under a status orange wind warning.
The alert for Clare, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford expires at midnight.
Ms Alien said very strong westerly winds would reach storm or near-storm conditions tonight.
Power outages, hazardous travel conditions and coastal flooding are possible.
A status yellow wind and rain warning will be in effect until midnight across the country.
Very strong and gusty southwesterly winds associated with spring tides may cause coastal flooding.
There will be showers and a chance of thunderstorms, which could cause localized flooding.
Met Éireann forecaster Linda Hughes told RTÉ’s Drivetime that the worst of the weather “will continue into the first half of tonight”.
“The heaviest wind gusts will be at that time, with strong winds expected to continue until midnight.
“A yellow wind and rain warning has then been issued for the west and north-west, which will remain in place until 6am on Friday.”
He said the situation would remain unstable in the coming days.
“At this time, another large cyclone is forecast to pass through the country over the weekend, which could bring another round of very strong winds and heavy rain from Saturday until New Year’s Eve.”
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Flooding was reported in parts of Cork and Kerry after Storm Gerrit overnight.
A yellow wind warning issued by the Met Office for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry expired at 10am.
Several roads in Northern Ireland were closed, including the Antrim coast road near the village of Glenham, due to waves breaking the sea wall and a number of small landslides caused by heavy rain.
Fallen trees have been removed from several areas, including near the village of Groomsport in County Down.
Additional Report Vincent Kearney