Ireland faces another bout of severe weather this afternoon, with Met Éireann issuing orange and yellow wind and rain warnings across much of the country. Coastal and western counties are expected to see the strongest gusts, heavy downpours and a real risk of flooding and fallen trees. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management has advised businesses and the public to prepare for transport disruption and power outages.
For procurement and supply chain managers, this is far more than a passing inconvenience. The country is still conscious of the lessons from Storm Éowyn in January 2025, which left more than 768,000 premises without electricity and exposed serious weaknesses in critical infrastructure. Recovery cost insurers and the State hundreds of millions of euro and prompted government plans for a new emergency preparedness framework bringing together network operators, telecoms providers and regulators to strengthen resilience.
Transport and logistics under strain
Heavy rain and high winds are already expected to disrupt the transport network. Flooded roads, fallen debris and closures can halt or delay deliveries, particularly to rural or coastal sites. Ferry and port operations may slow or suspend if conditions worsen at sea, and backlogs can persist for days. After previous storms, logistics providers struggled to recover capacity quickly, leaving businesses short of critical stock.
Procurement teams relying on just-in-time deliveries, especially in construction, food and retail, should expect delays. Alternative routes, back-up carriers and clear communication with hauliers are essential if today’s storm escalates.
Utilities and digital connectivity at risk
The national grid’s fragility remains a central concern. During Storm Éowyn, vast swathes of the network went dark for days, halting manufacturing lines, refrigeration, and distribution hubs. Telecoms infrastructure also failed in pockets, making it difficult for companies to track shipments or coordinate responses. Despite government efforts to strengthen resilience, the risk of blackouts and connectivity loss remains real.
Businesses should know which suppliers and facilities have backup generators, flood protection or alternative communications channels, and be ready to activate contingency plans if digital ordering or ERP systems fail.
Supplier disruption and cost escalation
Severe weather often forces smaller suppliers, especially those in at-risk counties, to shut down temporarily. Shortages of raw materials or components can ripple through manufacturing and retail supply chains. This risk is heightened when sourcing is geographically concentrated. Irish manufacturers have increasingly emphasised agility and supply chain visibility as core capabilities to survive such shocks.
Storms also bring unexpected costs: emergency transport, expedited freight, overtime labour and insurance claims. Buyers tied into rigid contracts without force majeure or flexible terms may find themselves exposed if suppliers invoke weather-related delays or cost adjustments. Reviewing contractual risk allocation and ensuring clear escalation pathways is a prudent step.
Strategic risk and resilience
For Irish businesses, the issue is no longer simply operational. Extreme weather is becoming more frequent, intensifying the pressure on procurement to support enterprise-wide resilience rather than pure cost optimisation. Reputational harm can follow if operations stall, particularly in critical services, food supply, healthcare or public contracts.
Recent Irish storms have underscored that resilience is not just a technical function: it requires diversified supply bases, buffer inventory for critical items, real-time visibility of shipments, and strong relationships with logistics partners. It also requires collaboration beyond the firm. Government and industry bodies are working on improved emergency response frameworks, but procurement leaders should engage actively to influence these policies and secure better support infrastructure.
The way forward
Today’s storm is therefore a live test of Ireland’s evolving risk posture. Teams that have mapped critical suppliers, planned alternative routes, checked contractual protections and secured stakeholder communication channels will ride out the disruption with minimal damage. Those who continue to treat weather events as occasional anomalies risk higher costs, delivery failures and reputational hits.
Longer term, this latest alert strengthens the case for investing in predictive analytics and supply chain monitoring, diversifying suppliers geographically, and supporting national efforts to modernise infrastructure. As the Irish Times recently argued, agility and resilience now trump a narrow focus on cost savings in procurement.
For buyers, the question is no longer whether storms will affect business, but how well prepared they are when the next one hits.
Sources:
Storm Éowyn exposed Ireland’s infrastructure deficits. Now it’s time to act
Warnings & Advisories – Today Friday 03 October 2025
https://www.met.ie/warnings-today.html
Ability to adapt key to meeting challenges of vulnerable global supply chains
