Tipperary on alert as it prepare for severe battering from Storm Ali

Tipperary will be battered by severe winds today as Storm Ali hits home

A Status Yellow alert is in force for the county as winds pick up speed.

Storm Ali will bring very windy conditions to all areas with strong to gale force south to southwest winds later veering westerly.

There will be severe or possibly damaging gusts for a time this morning especially in the west and northwest.

Squally showery rain will affect many areas at first, with heavy bursts in places. The rain will clear quickly eastwards, later this morning however, with sunshine and blustery showers following behind for the afternoon. Turning cooler, with afternoon temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees.

The warnings came into force at 5am on Wednesday with winds of 65km/h-80 km/h, and gusts are expected to rise to between 110km/h and 120km/h in some areas. Winds will be strongest along Atlantic coasts. The warning applies until late afternoon on Wednesday.

The storm will impact on the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co Offaly on Wednesday. The opening of the exhibition area has been put back to 11am as a result of the storm passing through the Midlands between 8am and 10am as a safety measure.