Met Eireann has issued a yellow weather warning as a deep Atlantic depression, named Storm Barbara, is set to hit parts of the country on Friday.

Storm Barbara is expected to bring extremely windy and wet conditions, while there will be a risk of stormy conditions in coastal counties of Connacht and Ulster.

The warning will come into effect on Friday night, December 23, at midnight and will remain in place until for the next 24 hours, according to Met Eireann.

Wednesday

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is set to be cold with showers in many areas in the morning which will clear eastwards by midday.

Sunny spells are forecast for the rest of the day as temperatures reach between 4 to 8 degrees, but showers will continue in the west and north.

Tomorrow night is set to be mostly dry with good clear spells at first, but scattered showers along Atlantic coasts are expected to become more frequent and push eastwards later in the night with some turning wintry on higher ground.

Temperatures are forecast to fall to between 1 to 4 degrees in a mostly light to moderate southwesterly breeze.

With the expected rain, conditions for both drying and spraying are set to be poor over the coming days.

Well and moderately drained soils are trafficable at present, but rainfall in the western half of the country will worsen these conditions.

Meanwhile, the ground in poorly drained soils will remain saturated or waterlogged for the coming week.

Thursday

Thursday will be a cold day with good sunny spells and scattered showers in the west and north, according to Met Eireann.

Temperatures are set to remain low with some showers expected to turn wintry on higher ground in the north of the country.

Thursday night is forecast to be mostly dry for a time but outbreaks of rain or drizzle is set to affect western and southern coastal counties.

Later in the night, rain is set become persistent and heavy over the west of the country and quickly spread eastwards by morning in a strong and gusty southerly wind.

Outlook

Friday is set to be a milder day with top temperatures of around 8 to 11 degrees, while the heavy rain and winds due to Storm Barbara is expected to clear to scattered showers with some turning wintry on Friday night and early Saturday as it gets colder.

Saturday, Christmas Eve, will be cold and showery at first with good sunny spells but it will become cloudy with rain spreading eastwards later, according to Met Eireann.

The rain is forecast to turn heavy before clearing to scattered showers on Sunday, Christmas Day.