Met Éireann has issued two Status Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain in the west of the county, which will be valid from the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Issued earlier today, Thursday, February 20, both alerts will be valid from 3:00am tomorrow morning through to 3:00am on Saturday morning.

The rainfall warning will affect four counties in the north-west, namely: Donegal; Leitrim; Mayo; and Sligo. Meanwhile, the wind warning will affect counties: Donegal; Galway; and Mayo.

Regarding rainfall, Met Éireann warns that, in the affected counties, 25 to 35mm of rain are expected during the warning period.

As the ground is saturated at the moment and river levels are elevated the forecast rainfall may lead to some localised surface and river flooding, the national meteorological office notes.

Meanwhile, on the wind front, southwesterly winds will reach mean speeds of 50 to 65kph at times during the period in the affected areas, with gusts of 80 to 95kph and a slight risk of localised coastal flooding.

Meanwhile, ahead of the warnings, the rest of today will be cold with sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, according to the weather forecaster.

Some showers will be wintry this afternoon with a mix of rain, hail and sleet, especially across the north and west of the country, with some snow settling on high ground.

Westerly winds will be strong and gusty in the west and north, with gales affecting coastal areas here. Afternoon highs of 4° to 7° are expected, Met Éireann concluded.