Wind and rain warnings remain in place today

A number of Status Yellow wind and rain weather warnings that were issued by Met Eireann remain in place today.

Earlier this morning, a Status Yellow wind warning was issued for counties Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry.

It is expected that – from late morning through to this afternoon – southerly winds will reach mean speeds of 50kph to 60kph at times; gusts could go as high as 80kph to 95kph, strongest in coastal areas, according to the Irish meteorological office.

The warning came into effect at 10:00am today and will remain in place until 6:00pm this evening.

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow rainfall warning remains in place over counties Kilkenny, Wexford, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary until 3:00pm today.

Issued yesterday afternoon, it was expected that between 25mm and 30mm of rain would fall, with a risk of spot flooding in places.

Similar, it was projected that accumulations of between 30mm and 50mm would fall over counties Cork, Kerry and Waterford between 6:00pm yesterday evening and 3:00pm today.

Forecast

According to Met Eireann, widespread persistent or heavy rain is expected this morning with blustery south-east winds and spot flooding, especially in Munster.

This afternoon, rain is set to gradually clear northwards. Heavy showers may follow over the western half of the country – with strong, gusty southerly winds and a risk of thunder. Temperatures are forecast to reach highs of 12º.

Showers will likely continue for a time early tonight, mainly in western and northern areas; but these will mostly die out later and skies will stay clear.

Mist will thicken into fog, which may become dense in places, especially over Munster, Met Eireann added. Lowest temperatures of 3º to 6º are expected.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, Saturday, is forecast to be mainly dry with sunny spells – with any fog gradually clearing.

There’ll be a danger of scattered showers through the afternoon and evening. Some of these will be heavy and possibly thundery, especially in parts of west Munster. It will be mild, with highest temperatures of 12º to 14º.

Tomorrow night will be cold and mainly dry, with temperatures dropping to as low as 2º.

Outlook

Mild conditions are set to continue on Sunday; the morning will be mainly dry, but some heavy and possibly thundery showers may develop in the afternoon and evening.

These showers will be heaviest and most frequent over the western half of the country, Met Eireann warned. Temperatures are forecast to vary between 11º and 14º with light breezes.

Early indications suggest that Monday will bring a fair amount of dry weather, but scattered showers may develop during the day.