Met Éireann has issued a Status Orange wind warning for nine counties as Storm Dennis batters the country.

The counties covered by the warning are Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.

Met Éireann said southwest winds are expected to reach mean speeds of 60-80 km/h, with severe gusts of up to 120km/h.

The wind will be the strongest on exposed hills and coasts, with a risk of coastal flooding also in place.

The warning will come into operation tomorrow morning at 10am and will remain valid for 12 hours until 10pm.

An Status Orange wind warning issued earlier for counties Waterford and Wexford has now been withdrawn and replaced with a Yellow wind and rainfall warning, which is to affect the rest of the country.

Southwest winds are predicted to reach mean speeds of 50-65km/h, gusting 90-110km/h, strongest on hills and coasts with the risk of coastal flooding.

The latter could be further worsened by spells of heavy, locally thundery rain.

The Promenade in Tramore has been closed to traffic until Monday

A Status Orange marine warning was also issued.

South to southwest winds are expected to reach gale force 8 or strong gale 9 today and tonight on all Irish coastal waters and on the Irish Sea.They will reach storm force 10 in Atlantic sea areas tomorrow.

The unsettled weather around the country will continue into Monday.

The ESB said the number of customers affected by power outages has now fallen to just over 1,000 homes, adding that crews are on alert across the country to respond to any faults that occur during the storm.

The strong winds are causing disruption to flights across the country, with ten flights cancelled at Dublin Airport today.

However, a spokesperson said the figure represents a very small number compared to the overall schedule of more than 600 aircraft arriving and departing throughout the day.

Intending passengers are advised to contact their airline before travelling to the airport, with the same advice being offered to those hoping to fly from Ireland West Airport in Knock.

Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority have urged all road users to exercise caution, while the Irish Coast Guard is appealing to people to stay away from exposed beaches, cliffs and piers.

The weather also had an effect on today's sport, with RTÉ cancelling its television coverage of Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

The game went ahead at Dalymount Park in Dublin, but the camera gantry and television presentation area were deemed unsafe.

Storm Dennis has forced the postponement of several Allianz National Hurling League games around the country this weekend.

Very wet and very windy spells for the rest of today. Strong to gale force southerly winds will continue with severe gusts and localised thunderstorms. Localised flooding is expected, with some coastal overtopping. Highs today of 9 to 12 degrees. pic.twitter.com/nNV4TYD5Vt — Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 15, 2020

STORM DENNIS - The Devil's Chimney waterfall blows backwards this morning

Sligo, Ireland

The waterfall's name comes from the phenomenon where southerly winds sometimes blow the water backwards up over the cliff. @rtenews @VirginMediaNews @MetEireann @JoannaDonnellyL #StormDennis pic.twitter.com/kESqPlqgtb — Donegal Weather Channel (@DonegalWeatherC) February 15, 2020

Meanwhile, the UK is braced for widespread weather disruption for the second weekend in a row as Storm Dennis sweeps in.

Heavy rain and strong winds are due to strike and are likely to affect transport links and trigger floods.

With strong winds and heavy rain, UK weather experts have warned that conditions amount to a "perfect storm" with hundreds of homes at risk of flooding.

The UK Met Office has issued eight weather warnings covering most of the UK this weekend.

Waves crash against the harbour wall in Porthcawl in Wales

This includes amber warnings from midday today over southern Scotland, northern England, Wales and part of the southwest saying that flooding could cause a danger to life.

Power cuts are also expected and there is a good chance train and buses will see cancellations or delays and roads closed.

The Environment Agency said flooding is likely to be worse than under last weekend's Storm Ciara due to rain falling on already saturated ground.

#StormDennis will bring some heavy and prolonged period of rainfall through today. This chart shows the projected rainfall totals and where we have warnings in force



Read more in our press release. https://t.co/PirpjFRb72



Stay #Weatheraware pic.twitter.com/V6J5ed4FnC — Met Office (@metoffice) February 15, 2020

Additional reporting Fergal O'Brien