Met Éireann’s mid-morning bulletin on 7 January issued a Status-Yellow snow-and-rain warning for Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford as Atlantic depression “Storm Goretti” tracks north-east from the Bay of Biscay. The alert runs from 12:00 to 20:00 on Thursday, 8 January, with forecasters predicting up to 40 mm of precipitation—turning to sleet or wet snow on higher ground—along with gusts of 70 km/h. Local authorities have activated winter-service plans, positioning gritters and snowploughs on the N25, M8 and key approach roads to Cork and Waterford airports.
Although Dublin Airport lies outside the warning zone, the regional gateways at Cork and Waterford have warned of possible temporary runway closures for de-icing. Aer Lingus Regional says it will switch ATR72 services to Shannon or Dublin if cross-winds exceed limits. Rosslare Europort operators have asked road hauliers to allow extra time, as standing water and black ice could slow access to ferry check-in during the evening peak.
The National Emergency Coordination Group has asked transport operators to provide hourly status updates so that real-time information can be pushed to Transport for Ireland’s journey-planner app. Employers with staff on assignment in the south-east are being advised to confirm – in advance – whether remote-work arrangements are feasible for Thursday, and to remind travellers of EU261 rights should weather-related cancellations occur.
![Storm Goretti Triggers Weather Warnings That Could Disrupt Southern Ireland Travel]()
Successive winter storms have already cost Irish carriers an estimated €8 million in disruption in the opening week of 2026. Business-travel managers are therefore urged to register employees for airline SMS alerts and to keep contingency budgets for last-minute hotel stays or ground-transport rerouting. If unforeseen diversions force travellers to route through the UK or mainland-European hubs, transit-visa requirements may arise at short notice; companies should ensure duty-of-care teams can provide rapid immigration guidance.
For organisations that need up-to-the-minute clarity on these sudden transit-visa issues, VisaHQ’s dedicated Ireland platform (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a quick online eligibility checker, real-time embassy updates and expedited processing capable of delivering approved travel documents in as little as 24 hours. Integrating the service into corporate travel protocols can dramatically reduce disruption and help fulfil duty-of-care obligations when weather events like Storm Goretti force last-minute itinerary changes.
Met Éireann will issue its next update at 06:00 on 8 January, and has not ruled out upgrading parts of the advisory to Status Orange should precipitation rates exceed current models. Mobility stakeholders should monitor updates and be prepared to adjust itineraries through the weekend.
Although Dublin Airport lies outside the warning zone, the regional gateways at Cork and Waterford have warned of possible temporary runway closures for de-icing. Aer Lingus Regional says it will switch ATR72 services to Shannon or Dublin if cross-winds exceed limits. Rosslare Europort operators have asked road hauliers to allow extra time, as standing water and black ice could slow access to ferry check-in during the evening peak.
The National Emergency Coordination Group has asked transport operators to provide hourly status updates so that real-time information can be pushed to Transport for Ireland’s journey-planner app. Employers with staff on assignment in the south-east are being advised to confirm – in advance – whether remote-work arrangements are feasible for Thursday, and to remind travellers of EU261 rights should weather-related cancellations occur.
Successive winter storms have already cost Irish carriers an estimated €8 million in disruption in the opening week of 2026. Business-travel managers are therefore urged to register employees for airline SMS alerts and to keep contingency budgets for last-minute hotel stays or ground-transport rerouting. If unforeseen diversions force travellers to route through the UK or mainland-European hubs, transit-visa requirements may arise at short notice; companies should ensure duty-of-care teams can provide rapid immigration guidance.
For organisations that need up-to-the-minute clarity on these sudden transit-visa issues, VisaHQ’s dedicated Ireland platform (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a quick online eligibility checker, real-time embassy updates and expedited processing capable of delivering approved travel documents in as little as 24 hours. Integrating the service into corporate travel protocols can dramatically reduce disruption and help fulfil duty-of-care obligations when weather events like Storm Goretti force last-minute itinerary changes.
Met Éireann will issue its next update at 06:00 on 8 January, and has not ruled out upgrading parts of the advisory to Status Orange should precipitation rates exceed current models. Mobility stakeholders should monitor updates and be prepared to adjust itineraries through the weekend.
