Water levels on the River Shannon rising due to unsettled weather

Above: Photo of the River Shannon during 2015 flooding

Westmeath County Council is continuing to actively monitor water levels on the Shannon with regard to the current spell of unsettled weather and the forecast period of rainfall.

Water levels on the Shannon in Athlone are currently at 38.86m OD Poolbeg.

This represents an increase of 60mm in the last 24 hours.

Water levels remain at approximately 1m below the highest level recorded in Winter of 2015/16.

The River Shannon is a slow rising river due to the scale of the catchment area and this gives time for additional responses to be put in place when necessary.

Staff in Westmeath County Council will continue to monitor river levels and are prepared for the deployment of defence measures, if required, should levels continue to rise over the weekend.

The permanent flood defences already in place will provide significant protection to areas of the town that were affected in the past.