Wind and flood warning as heavy rain causes school closures

Warnings for heavy rain, flooding and strong winds have been issued across Northern Ireland, with the arrival of Storm Chandra.

Some schools and higher education providers have announced they will be closed on Tuesday as a result.

A yellow rainfall alert is currently in place for counties Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone.

There is an amber warning for wind on Tuesday from 05:00 GMT until 21:00 and a rain warning will come into effect at midnight, which could lead to flooding.

In the next 48 hours, 50mm of rain is expected in many areas and more than 100mm of rain could fall over high ground towards the east.

Daera is advising the public not to visit forests, country parks and nature reserves or the Public Angling Estate in affected areas until high winds subside.

The Met Office is warning of severe gusts of up to 70mph (120/h) on Tuesday morning for Antrim, Down, and Londonderry.

Stronger gusts are expected in some exposed coastal areas.

The winds are expected to ease throughout the afternoon, before ramping up again later in the afternoon and evening.

Heavy rain will also be an additional hazard with very blustery conditions expected, with large waves around the coast.

Travel disruption can be expected on the roads, in the air, and on the sea.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has said multi-agency preparations are underway, with roads and rivers teams clearing drains and monitoring river and sea levels.

It added there will be additional roads and river team staff on standby to respond to incidents.

Ferry sailings between Belfast and Liverpool were cancelled on Monday evening, with further cancellations affecting several scheduled services from Belfast and Larne on Tuesday.

Translink has advised passengers to check its Journey Planner or Translink social media channels in advance of travel, and to allow extra time for their journeys.

All Belfast Met campuses will be closed on Tuesday due to the weather, with classes moved online, the college has announced.

The South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has also chosen to close its campuses while Ulster University is closing its Belfast, Coleraine and Jordanstown campuses.

However, the Education Authority said it has no plan to issue general school closure notices but asked school leaders to monitor and assess the weather warnings and conditions in their areas to take local decisions if required.

It added school transport services will operate but may be subject to disruption and parents should be aware they may need to make their own transport arrangements for their children.

Several schools have taken the decision to close on Tuesday.

Click here for a full updated list.

Outbreaks of rain spreading east across all counties is likely to fall as sleet and snow over some higher ground for a time.

Given recent rainfall and the very saturated conditions of the ground, there is an increasing risk of flooding.

The Met Office has warned that some communities could be cut off by floodwater, while possibly fast flowing or deep flood water could cause danger to life.

The Met Office is also warning of the possibility of power cuts and damage to buildings.

NIE Networks has advised the public to stay clear of damaged electricity equipment and to report any faults.

Warnings have also been issued in parts of the Republic of Ireland for Tuesday.

Wind and rain warnings have been issued along the east coast and south coast from Louth to Kerry.

Irish weather service Met Éireann has warned of hazardous travel conditions as well as possible flooding.

10 sailings to and from Dublin to Holyhead have been cancelled.