Killarney clean-up begins after 30mm rainfall in hour and ‘unprecedented’ flash flooding
Killarney, Ireland, is undergoing a cleanup following unprecedented flash flooding caused by 57mm of rainfall in under four hours. Local businesses and homes sustained damage, though officials noted that the impact could have been significantly worse.
Why it matters
Illustrates the increasing frequency of extreme weather events and their impact on local infrastructure and tourism-dependent economies.
A clean-up began in Killarney , Co Kerry , on Friday morning after “unprecedented” flash flooding overwhelmed much of the town and its surroundings.
The heavy downpours led to the closure of all main roads in and around Killarney. A number of vehicles that became stuck had to be removed by the fire service.
Heavy rain began around 5pm on Thursday but the worst of the downpour occurred between 7pm and 8pm with about 30mm recorded at Muckross House weather station outside the town.
It recorded a total of 57mm in under four hours, akin to a red level alert.
⚠️ FLOODING IN KILLARNEY: Park Road and Countess Road in Killarney are impassable and should be avoided owing to significant flash flooding ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/NT7M73rpQt
The N71 Muckross Road, the main tourist road to Killarney National Park, was flooded, as was the N22 Cork-to-Killarney Road at Pike Hill.
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