Met Éireann’s Joanna Donnelly hits back at actor Rory Cowan after ‘alarmist scaremongering’ claims around weather warnings

Met Éireann forecaster Joanna Donnelly has hit back at Fair City actor Rory Cowan after he questioned the need for weather warnings in recent days.

With the country feeling sub-zero temperatures and some parts covered in snow, the weather has topped much of the news agenda since last week.

Cowan, a former star of Mrs Brown’s Boys star, criticised what he described as “alarmist scaremongering” from the media and forecasters.

Mr Cowan posted on X: “The national broadcaster and those in the know say there’s a serious weather event in Ireland. They issued a warning about it over the last few days. What serious weather event? I haven’t seen much evidence of it so far”.

A new status orange weather warning has been issued for 22 counties today while more than 10,000 households and businesses are still without electricity and thousands still without water. Tomorrow will see 25 counties placed under Status Orange warning for low temperatures with the mercury expected to drop as…