Flood levels creep up again ahead of weekend storm

Having stabilised slightly overnight, water levels have crept slowly up during the days as winds pick up.
Official figures from the Office of Public Works indicate that the Shannon is now just over 35 cms or fourteen inches off record flood levels, recorded in January 2016.
The measurement south of Athlone Weir peaked today at 36m OD, and is currently 35.98m OD – in comparison to the highest measurement at that monitoring point, of 36.36mOD on January 4/5, 2016.
With a Status Orange wind warning for Westmeath and Roscommon from 1pm to 7pm on Saturday, there are fears of higher water levels.
A Storm Red wind warning is in place for Galway and Clare.
A yellow rainfall warning is also in operation for some parts of the country.

Westmeath County Council, in a statement, at 5pm this evening, said an ESB forecast of river levels for the next 4 days and this is indicating that the River Shannon in Athlone will continue to rise up to Sunday 1st March 2020.  The highest predicted level is 39.30mOD, which is approximately 4cm above current levels. 

The combination of permanent and temporary flood defences in Athlone town is proving to be effective in preventing significant flooding and it is anticipated that the predicted rise of 6cm by Sunday will not cause major difficulties in the town.

However, the inundation of rural areas adjacent to the Shannon is causing major issues for rural residents and farmers. Assistance is being provided to people in these areas and this will be widened as the need arises in terms of transport and other services over the coming days. 

Regarding Storm Jorge, Westmeath County Council said it continues to monitor the situation and preparations are in place to address localised issues.
 Council crews will be engaged in flood response activities over the weekend and are on standby to respond to incidents, as and when the need arises.

An emergency number is available, including outside of office hours, and can be accessed through 044 933 2000.

Roscommon County Council has said it is continuing to assess the situation regarding the rising water levels in the county. The Shannon, South of Athlone, has risen 7mm overnight and 11mm at Hodson Bay. In Cortober, Carrick On Shannon, the water level has fallen 14mm overnight.   Rookwood, Athleague, has fallen by 80mm.

An interactive map is now available identifying the roads which are affected by flooding in Roscommon.  These maps will continue to be updated on a regular basis and their status maybe subject to change. 
Please click on the following link
 https://roscoco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e2b46bf1adba4fa396845f059e878dad
Motorists are reminded to be vigilant on all roads particularly on roads which are passable but may be subject to partial flooding.
Property owners in all flood areas are reminded of the need to be vigilant and to take measures to protect their properties
Sandbags are being provided and the public can also directly collect sandbags, if required, at depots, including in Monksland.
Roscommon County Council’s Local Co-ordination Group will continue to monitor the situation during this period and will continue to relay public safety information through our media and social media channels. The Council can be contacted at 09066 37100 and in an emergency the public can call 999 or 112 at any time.
Out of office hours numbers for the Athlone area are 090 6492161 and 087 2486703

Here's our handy explainer on the flood defences in Athlone and answers to other questions regarding the flood situation.