PIC: Weather Expert Comments On Storm Diana’s Red Alert Possibility

Darragh Berry

If you thought Storm Diana had reached its peak, baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

As we put it this morning, Storm Diana hadn’t even reached Ireland when we all woke up on Tuesday morning.

An orange warning is now in place for various coastal counties and as things start getting a bit scary, we decided to get in touch with Weather Expert Barra Best to see what’s the possibility of Storm Diana turning from an orange warning to a Status Red.

The BBC weather presenter told Lovin Media Group that: A red alert is very rare and requires a very high threshold to be broken.

A run though the next 30 or so hours. These would be at the upper end of peak gusts tomorrow during #StormDiana give or take 10% on wind speeds? Please drive with extreme care and leave bikes and motorbikes at home. High sided vehicles should use extreme caution on open roads. pic.twitter.com/mX7nTFGp88

— ☀Metalert Ireland☀ (@MetAlertIreland) November 27, 2018

“As it stands – Storm Diana is a fairly regular winter storm which will bring very strong gusts to coastal counties.

“With high seas, coastal areas can expect big waves and possible coastal flooding, leading to disruption and possible damage. How much disruption and damage remains to be seen once conditions die down.”

People are being told to drive with extreme care and have been asked to leave bikes and motorbikes at home.

As well as this, Met Éireann has released information about Storm Diana on Tuesday.

A statement by their Meteorologist Liz Walsh said that:

“The cool easterly airflow which persisted for much of last week has now given way to a much more unsettled but milder Atlantic regime.

“It’s a complex set-up out in the Atlantic at present with several low pressure centres and frontal waves in the mix.

“The first active period of weather from one of these low centres, which produced very wet and windy conditions for many on Tuesday morning the 27th November, has cleared and there will be a lull in the weather through the rest of Tuesday before the next system arrives.

“This next low pressure system carries (and will keep) the name of Storm Diana. It was named by the Portuguese Met Service due to the orange level warning conditions it produced for the Azores archipelago on the evening and night of Monday the 26th November.

“Storm Diana will produce some severe and potentially damaging winds as it moves northwards to the west of Ireland on Wednesday and a number of warnings have been issued in relation to this event.”