Met Éireann has confirmed that it will replace county-wide weather warnings with a new localised system from late 2026, marking a significant change to the national warning framework.
In a written reply to a Parliamentary Question by Laois Fine Gael TD Mr Willie Aird, the forecaster said it is developing a polygon-based system that will divide the country into sub-county zones. The new approach will allow warnings to be issued for specific areas rather than entire counties.
The forecaster said the new system will give more precise guidance to communities.
Noting that the current system is well established, robust and aligned with international best practice, Met Éireann added, “This enhanced localisation will provide clearer direction to those at risk and support more targeted emergency preparedness. The aim is to have this system in place later in 2026.”
Deputy Willie Aird has welcomed the proposed change, adding that the current system is too broad for Ireland’s varied landscape and island conditions and often results in warnings not reflecting the actual risk on the ground.
He said that during named storms and periods of wintry weather, Status Orange or Red alerts are sometimes issued for several counties even though only particular areas within those counties face severe conditions. Aird said this can lead to widespread school closures and disruption when the threshold for the higher‑level warning has only been reached in one part of a county.
“The new system will bring clarity. It will end the unnecessary disruption that blanket county warnings can cause while still giving clear safety information to the people who need it,” he said.
He pointed to the heavy snowfall in January 2025 as an example of where a more targeted approach would have been appropriate.
“High ground areas of Tipperary, Kilkenny, Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Laois were technically in red alert conditions with disruptive levels of snowfall, while lower lying parts of those counties had very different circumstances with mostly rain. A county-wide warning simply does not reflect that reality,” he said.
“People do not live their lives by county borders. Weather does not respect them either. This is a practical step that will help protect homes, businesses and lives,” concluded Deputy Aird.
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