Storm Geraldine not given storm status in Ireland

French weather forecasters have given stormy conditions to a weather system that is spreading across Ireland.

Meto France named the weather system Storm Geraldine because of its influence.

They expect to bring winds of 120km/h to Brittany.

Met Alien has not upgraded the weather front to storm status.

It said Sunday, Dec. 31, would be windy, with bright sunshine and heavy rain showers, with the possibility of hail and lightning. Strong winds will blow from the southwest to the west for a while.

Rain showers will be confined to the northern half of the country by the evening, it said. Strong west to northwest winds make it feel quite cold, with maximum temperatures around 5 to 8 degrees Celsius.

Showers will continue into the night, primarily in Atlantic Coast counties, with a chance of prolonged showers and hail and thunder in the Northwest. According to Alien Doctors, if there is a mostly calm westerly wind, frost and ice could form if the minimum temperature is -1C to +4C.

New Year’s Day will start out mostly sunny with a few showers, but will become more isolated throughout the morning and early afternoon.

Dr Alien also said the clouds would develop from the south-west, followed by rain, and spread north-eastwards into Munster, southern Leinster and large parts of Connacht by the evening. According to the forecast, the maximum temperature in the afternoon will be 5 to 8 degrees with light to moderate southwesterly winds, returning to southeasterly winds and increasing to moderate to breezy temperatures with rain.

Heavy rain will fall in the evening and into the evening on Monday, spreading northwards to the rest of the country by early evening, making parts of Connacht and Ulster, particularly in the foothills, a bit wintry. The skies will remain mostly sunny through the night, mainly in the Atlantic region, with scattered showers. Minimum temperatures in the northern half of the country range from 0 to 3 degrees Celsius, becoming milder the further south you go.

Met Eireann partners with weather services in the UK and Netherlands for storm forecasting.