Babet Storm Set to Strike Northern Ireland, Delivering a Month’s Worth of Rain in a Single Day
The average monthly rainfall for October is typically just over 100mm, therefore, Northern Ireland could experience a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours.
Northern Ireland is on high alert as Storm Babet threatens to unleash a month’s worth of rain today, with the Met Office claiming it’s going to be a “tricky” 24 hours.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain for all six counties from 2 pm today until 10 am on Thursday.
Storm Babet is expected to bring challenging conditions, with the potential for a month’s worth of rain to fall in just one day, posing the risk of severe disruptions.
Rainfall is forecast to begin this afternoon, intensify during the night, and continue into tomorrow morning before gradually diminishing.
This marks the UK’s second storm in recent weeks, with Storm Agnes causing significant disruption to Irish Sea ferry services, power supplies, and road networks.
It also caused flight delays at Belfast City Airport when it hit the UK on September 27.
However, the impact of Storm Babet is not expected to be as severe.
The Met Office’s weather warning for Storm Babet covers all counties in Northern Ireland; however, Co Antrim and Co Down are expected to bear the brunt of the conditions.
The weather group said Northern Ireland will exhibit substantial variation, with the heaviest accumulations of rainfall anticipated in these two counties, particularly in the Mournes where it’s warned rain may reach 30-50mm, while elevated areas in the east could experience up to 75-100mm.
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, Met Office forecaster Craig Snell has warned that Northern Ireland is in for a “very tricky 24 hours” today.
“Between 30-50mm of rain is expected to fall in most places,” he said.
“But some spots in eastern counties could see as much as 100mm.”
The average monthly rainfall for October is typically just over 100mm, therefore, Northern Ireland could experience a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours.
Additionally, a sustained period of heavy rainfall follows a separate wet front that passed through on Tuesday evening, increasing the risk of flooding and transport disruptions during the storm.
“So we could see an entire month’s rainfall within the space of 24 hours. Given the time of year, it could cause leaves to build up in storm drains which will block them,” added Mr Snell.
“So it could be a very tricky 24 hours in Northern Ireland.”
While Northern Ireland joins England and Wales in the forecast of heavy rain, the Met Office issued an amber alert for Scotland where strong southeasterly winds are set to create dangerous conditions along the east coast, with large waves an additional hazard.
