Main points

Jack White – 1 minute ago

A status yellow rain alert warning of further heavy rain and showers for six counties is in effect until midnight.

The weather warning covers counties Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow and Waterford, with Met Éireann saying further localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions are possible.

Persistent rain is expected to move into the southwest on Thursday afternoon, the forecaster said, before it spreads towards the northeast through the day, “turning heavy in places”.

Outbreaks of rain will continue on Thursday night but will be most persistent in Ulster and Leinster before gradually easing and becoming patchier overnight.

“Due to saturated soils and high river levels, there will be ongoing potential for localised flooding,” Met Éireann said.

A persistent and heavy spell of rain is expected to spread from the south through Friday morning and afternoon, posing a risk of further localised flooding, Met Éireann said.

Jack White – 23 minutes ago

A house in Kiltiernan, Co Dublin, home to Sarah Redmond and her family, has been gutted due to flooding caused by Storm Chandra. Video: Sarah Burns

Sarah Redmond was woken during the early hours of Tuesday by her 16-year-old daughter who could hear water running through the family’s kitchen.

The 38-year-old mother of five in Kilternan, south Co Dublin, said everything in her home has been “destroyed”.

“I can’t cope, I really can’t,” she said.

Read more from Sarah Burns here.

Jack White – 39 minutes ago

Cleaning up after Storm Chandra flood damage on Wednesday, along Shannon Quay, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, beside the Slaney River which burst its banks. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish TimesCleaning up after Storm Chandra flood damage on Wednesday, along Shannon Quay, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, beside the Slaney River which burst its banks.
Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times

The President of Wexford Chamber of Commerce has warned that businesses in Enniscorthy could be closed for months following severe floods brought by Storm Chandra.

Vivienne Clarke reports:

Ed Murphy expressed concern that the town of Enniscorthy “is pretty well closed down”.

“It’s not been possible to get through town, to do business, and obviously the ones that are flooded are hugely affected,” he told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland.

With Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran due to visit Enniscorthy on Thursday, alongside other affected areas in South Dublin and Co Wicklow, Mr Murphy called on him to “start doing something”.

Ralph and Anne Swaine, of The Bus Stop Shop, cleaning up on Wednesday after Storm Chandra flood damage, along Shannon Quay, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, beside the Slaney River which burst its banks. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times Ralph and Anne Swaine, of The Bus Stop Shop, cleaning up on Wednesday after Storm Chandra flood damage, along Shannon Quay, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, beside the Slaney River which burst its banks.
Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times

“Whether it’s flood walls, whether it is an embankment, whether its dredging. But the problem is, the first report on this was 25 years ago and nothing, absolutely zero has been done since,” he said, noting that the town has been repeatedly flooded over the past 25 years.

“It’s obvious it’s going to keep happening. So how much more evidence and the many more reports do you need to do to actually do something and deal with the situation that needs to be dealt with here?”

Repair works of a large burst on a “major” water main at Fairview Park in north Dublin are expected to continue for some time, Uisce Éireann has said.

It said it is carrying out “urgent repair works” following the burst on a water main at Edge’s Corner which supplies much of north Dublin.

The burst has caused extensive water outages and significant flooding in the area.

Keith Conmy, Uisce Éireann’s water network operations manager, Uisce Éireann, said the repair is being carried out “as quickly and as safely as possible”.

“We understand the significant impact this incident is having on households experiencing water outages, as well as the considerable disruption being caused to traffic.

“This is a complex repair, and we appreciate the patience of customers and morning commuters as we work to restore normal water supply and reopen roads as quickly as possible.”

Areas currently experiencing water outages include: Bayside, Collins Avenue, Howth Road, Raheny, Clontarf, Artane, Fairview, Kilbarrack, North Strand, Drumcondra. All other locations in north Dublin may be experiencing reduced water pressure.

Uisce Éireann said it typically takes three to four hours for normal supply to return following repair works as the network refills.

The Dart line between Howth Junction and Malahide has reopened, Irish Rail has confirmed, with “ongoing delays” to services expected.

Crews are working to restore water supply to several areas in Dublin after a burst water main caused significant flooding in Fairview Park.

Areas including Clontarf, Kilbarrack, Raheny, Drumcondra, and Artane have been affected, Uisce Éireann said.

Irish Rail spokeswoman Jane Cregan has warned customers to expect “significant delays and disruption” into Dublin city centre due to subsidence on the line between Portmarnock and Malahide.

Vivienne Clarke reports:

Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, Ms Cregan said crews were on site attempting to clear the tree that had fallen on the line as a result of subsidence.

“We’re confident that we will have it cleared at some stage this morning but I can’t give you a timeline on that and I suppose it’d be fair to say the morning peak will be affected by this,” she said.

“We are recommending for our customers that Dublin Bus and Go Ahead are honouring rail tickets, but you are going to expect significant delays and disruption to your journey into the city centre from that route this morning.”

Emergency services are at Fairview Park in Dublin where roads are closed due to severe flooding in the area due to a burst water main.

Met Éireann forecaster, Aoife Kealy, warned on Thursday there is “nowhere for the rain to go” with further localised flooding possible as more rain is expected to fall on ground that is already saturated.

Vivienne Clarke reports:

There will be further outbreaks of rain on Thursday, with more persistent rain spreading from the southwest through the afternoon and evening which will “turn heavy at times”, she said.

Noting that ground is already saturated and river levels remain high, she said this rain will “exacerbate any impacts that we’ve already seen”.

“It’s just going to add to those flooding impacts that we have already seen and even into tomorrow there will be further rain spreading up from the south which once again will turn heavy at times so there is that ongoing potential for flooding right through the rest of the working week.

“There’s simply nowhere else for the rain to go,” she told Newstalk Breakfast.

Ms Kealy said there is potential for “some drier weather” this weekend, though it will be “short-lived” as unsettled conditions are set to continue next week.

Roads are currently “closed completely” at Fairview Park in Dublin 3 due to flooding, An Garda Síochána has said.

Local diversions are in place, it said, and those travelling in the area are advised to take another route.

Several Dublin Bus services have been diverted due to the closures.

“Major disruption” to Irish Rail services

The Dart line between Malahide and Howth Junction has been closed after a tree fell on the line due to subsidence following heavy rainfall, Irish Rail has said.

It has reported “major disruption” to some of its services on Thursday morning, with northern commuter services terminating in Malahide.

Dart services are operating between Howth and Bray/Greystones until further notice, it said.

Irish Rail said the line between Newry and Belfast is also closed, with a bus transfer is in operation between both locations.

Rosslare line services also remain suspended on Thursday due to flooding on the line at Enniscorthy.

“Customers in Enniscorthy are advised that it may not be possible for buses to access Enniscorthy station due to flooding on the road,” it added.