The Education Department has given an update to schools ahead of the arrival of Storm Lorenzo.
A Status Orange warning is currently in place for the western counties while Yellow has been placed on Dublin as the storm is set to hit Irish shores on Thursday.
The department has told schools to "remain vigilant" and "keep themselves appraised of any hourly and other updates from Met Éireann, and from their local authorities, local radio, and an Garda Síochána".
Particularly with regards to schools in the west, they said closure decisions should be made locally and that schools should liase with gardai about possible safety concerns.
They said: "In all events, and if in any doubt, schools and other education settings should err on the side of caution.
"Schools are empowered to make closure decisions if, in their judgement in the interests of the safety of the school community, it is prudent to do so.
"Any and all decisions about school closures will be informed by, as well as prevailing and predicted conditions, any damage that might have been caused to school buildings overnight or at any time during the storm, and whether such damage –where it exists – might present a risk to safety.
"Similarly other education settings should make closure decisions based on those considerations.
"We will continue to monitor the situation as it progresses and will follow any advice from the National Emergency Coordination Group."
