Summary

  • Businesses in Newry, County Down, have been damaged after the city's canal burst its banks on Monday night

  • Portadown, Downpatrick, Templepatrick and Ballynahinch are among the other areas badly affected

  • More than 12,000 sandbags have been deployed to the worst affected areas of Northern Ireland

  • The Met Office has cancelled a yellow rain warning for NI for Thursday as Storm Ciarán hits other parts of the UK

  1. Alternative transport methodspublished at 12:11 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    With cars left abandoned on flooded roads, some people in Newry have taken to alternative methods of transport in order to navigate the city's streets.

    People paddling a row boat through the streets of Newry
    A man paddling a kayak through the streets of NewryImage source, Pacemaker
  2. Cars abandoned in Camloughpublished at 11:42 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    Patrick Fee
    BBC News NI in Camlough

    Cars partially submerged in flooding on a road in Camlough

    Rain is still falling in Camlough as local residents begin to venture outdoors.

    The town’s main road remains partially closed this morning with abandoned cars half submerged in the flood water.

    Residents are also assessing the damage to the 3G pitch of local football team, Camlough Rovers FC.

    Paul, whose 17-year-old daughter plays for Northern Ireland, has volunteered to help with the clean up. He has described the flooding as "devastating".

    “There was supposed to be a Halloween camp here on Wednesday but that’s not going to happen. There would have been maybe 70 children here Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,” he told BBC News NI.

    “There will be nothing for the kids all this week“

    “We are a charity here and we’re just panicking. We don’t know what way this 3G is going to work out, whether it is going to need resurfaced.”

    Asked if the club could afford to resurface the pitch he said “no, definitely not”.

    “That would be big big money.”

    Person wades through a flooded football pitch in Camlough
  3. October - already a wet month!published at 11:16 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    Barra Best
    BBC News NI weather presenter

    Before Monday’s rain, Northern Ireland had already received 152.8mm of rain in October.

    That is almost one and half times (145%) the normal amount of rain for the entire month.

    This figure will increase once the rainfall totals for the 30th and 31st of the month are added.

    October 2022 was also very wet - in fact the 9th wettest on record - with 179.1mm of rain.

    The wettest October on record goes back to 1870 when 246.6mm of rain fell.

  4. Main Belfast to Dublin road flooded in partspublished at 10:58 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    The main road between Belfast and Dublin, the A1/N1, is also flooded.

    This photo, taken a near Carrickdale, County Louth, shows traffic stopped near the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

    Cars stopped in the middle of the road ahead of a flooded area
  5. Road closure updatespublished at 10:35 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    Since our last update on road closures, the Department for Infrastructure has now published this additional information:

    County Armagh

    • A28 Killylea Road, Armagh closed due to a river bursting it banks. Road closed at Mullacreevie Park.
    • A51 Hamiltonsbawen Road, Tandragee closed due to flooding. Road closed at Cordrain Road junction.
    • A3 Armagh to Portadown Road at Stonebridge Roundabout. Road flooded to to a river bursting its banks, but passable with care.
    • Mullahead Road, Portadown. Road closed due to the River Bann bursting its banks and overflowing.

    Scroll down to see what other roads have been closed.

  6. Killowen's wettest ever daypublished at 10:19 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    Killowen in County Down recorded 75.4mm of rain over a 24 hour period, making it the wettest day on record for at that weather station since it began collecting data in 1997.

    The wettest day on record for Northern Ireland was 31st October 1968 when 158.9mm fell at Tollymore Forest, also in County Down.

  7. Newry under waterpublished at 10:02 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    Here are some photos from Newry town centre, one of the worst affected areas due to the town's canal bursting its banks overnight.

    Flooding in Newry
    Road Closed sign in front of a flooded street in Newry
    Newry Canal
  8. Road closurespublished at 09:46 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    The latest road closures according to the Department for Infrastructure are as follows:

    County Down

    • Bangor - Ballysallagh Road is impassable due to flooding.
    • Newry Road from Rathfriland Road Roundabout to Mayobridge closed due to flooding.
    • Ferryhill Road, Newry closed due to a landslide.
    • A2 Shore Road leaving Rostrevor closed due to a landslide. Local diversion in place.
    • Mayobridge - Hilltown Road is impassable due to flooding between Maybridge and Hilltown.
    • Killowen - The A2 Killowen Road closed due to the possibility of landslips - Rostrevor to Kilkeel traffic will be diverted via Rostrevor – Hilltown – Kilcoo – Castlewellan – Newcastle - Kilkeel.
    • Scrava - The B3 Legananny Rd has been closed between the Old Mill Road and Lisnagade Road following damage to a bridge
    • Strangford :Black Causeway Road, Strangford has been closed due to flooding at a number of locations along the route.
    • Moira - A26 Glenavy Road remains closed due to flooding leaving M1 Moira Road roundabout. Surrounding roads are also badly affected with flooding.
    • International Airport traffic may want to consider using M1. A12 & M2 as an alternative route and allow extra time for their journey.
    • Newry - Camlough Road / Newtown Road closed due to flooding.
    • Newry – The A25 Rathfriland/Finnard Rd is closed between Shinn Straight and the Arddarragh crossroads due to severe flooding.
    • Helens Bay - The Bridge Road South has been closed due to flooding.
    • Ballynahinch - Drumgiven Road closed from Creevyargon Road to Cahard Road due to severe flooding.

    County Armagh

    • Battlehill Road, Richill closed due to flooding between Dobbin Road and Kilomore Road.
    • Armagh Road in Tandragee is closed due to flooding.
    • Ballcrummy Road, Armagh closed due to flooding
    • Mullenure Lane, Armagh closed due to flooding
    • Bolton Road outside Markethill Road closed due to flooding
  9. Welcome to our flooding live pagepublished at 09:40 Greenwich Mean Time 31 October 2023

    Much of Newry city centre is under waterImage source, Rhys O'Neill
    Image caption,

    Much of Newry city centre is under water

    Good morning, you join us on a particularly wet and windy Tuesday as we report on disruption caused by flooding across Northern Ireland.

    The worst hit areas currently are counties Armagh, Antrim and Down where an amber warning for heavy rain was in place overnight until 09:00 this morning.

    Most of Northern Ireland will remain under a yellow warning for rain until noon, with another yellow warning coming into effect from 21:00 this evening until 09:00 on tomorrow morning.

    You can read our coverage so far on the impact of the flooding here.