Hold on to your hats people, there's a whole lot of weather outside today. Almost every corner of the country is currently being pounded with extreme wind and rain, as gusts of up to 160km/h are causing serious infrastructural damage countrywide. 

The most amusing piece of weather news so far? Met Eireann's radar at Shannon Airport has suffered wind damage, so it can't tell us exactly how windy it is.

Here's what we know so far:

  • RTE is reporting that as many as 260,000 homes are currently without power, most of whom are in the West Cork and Kerry region. 


  • Kilkenny has declared a state of emergency due to damage caused by high winds.


  • People in various locations have been warned to not leave their house.


  • Met Eireann has issued CODE RED warning for the south of the country as they expect gusts up to 170km/h.


  • Phone lines are severely disrupted in various locations across the country.


  • Big sea swells are expected in coastal regions, so be vigilant when travelling near to water.


  • Residents in Cork and Kerry have been warned to not make unnecessary journeys.


  • Dublin airport remains open but passengers are advised to check with their airlines for cancellation information.
     

Twitter user and weather guru Deric Hartigan has been updating his feed with some particularly interesting photos, check out his feed below.