LIVE TRACKER: Track Storm Kathleen as it hits Ireland amid Met Eireann warnings

Storm Kathleen will undergo a meteorological process called 'bombogenesis' before hitting Ireland on Saturday, according to forecasters.

Met Éireann has now issued a series of weather warnings for Storm Kathleen, including two separate Status Orange wind warnings covering five counties.

The first orange warning is for Cork, Kerry and Waterford and warns residents there that "Storm Kathleen will bring gale force southerly winds, with some severe and damaging gusts."

Possible impacts include "very difficult travel conditions, fallen trees, some power outages, coastal flooding and wave overtopping."

The warning is valid from 7am until 2pm on Saturday.

The second Status Orange wind warning has been issued for Galway and Mayo and will bring similarly "damaging gusts" as well as the impacts listed above.

This warning is valid from 9am to 6pm on Saturday.

A Status Yellow wind warning for the rest of Ireland on Saturday warns of "very strong and gusty southerly winds associated with Storm Kathleen."

Possible impacts include "some fallen trees, difficult travel conditions, debris, loose objects displaced and some coastal flooding."

This national warning is valid from 5am to 8pm on Saturday. You can track the storm below:

Meanwhile, forecasters at Weather Alerts Ireland have said Storm Kathleen will undergo "bombogenesis" before impacting Ireland.

"This system will undergo bombogenesis which refers to when a low pressure system deepens and air pressure drops by more than 24hPa in the next 24 hours," they said on Thursday.

In an update on Friday, they added: "Storm Kathleen has deepened a lot last night and is becoming an impressive system.
She is currently at around 968hPa and will continue to drop throughout today. Storm Kathleen will bring very strong winds tomorrow and large seas."

The forecast continued: "Gusts of 90km/h can be expected pretty much countrywide and mean winds of 50km/h.

"Gusts of 110km/h and mean wind speeds of over 65km/h can be expected in southern coastal counties of Cork, Kerry and Waterford tomorrow morning before the risk of these winds stick along western coastal counties.

"Mean wind speeds of over 80km/h are possible in coastal areas and higher ground areas in the South tomorrow morning and then moving along West coast throughout the late morning."

They say there is a "risk of power outages, fallen trees and coastal flooding" on Saturday "with a chance of damaging gusts in worst affected areas."