Farmers may need to factor deteriorating ground conditions into grazing, slurry spreading and fieldwork decisions with unsettled weather forecast.

According to Met Éireann soils are saturated or close to saturation while moderately and poorly drained soils across the northwest, midlands, south and southeast are waterlogged.

The latest soil moisture conditions point to increasingly difficult ground conditions.

Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) are forecast to decrease in poorly drained soils, with much of the country away from eastern fringes, becoming waterlogged.

"Well and moderately drained soils across the country will become saturated or near saturated," Met Éireann has advised.

It has pointed to the fact that rainfall has been above average in parts of the eastern and southern half of the country during the past seven days - ranging from between 42% to 290%.

Met Éireann today (Wednesday, September 30) said that the wettest conditions were in the southeast with 52.3mm recorded at Oak Park, Co. Carlow. 

It has also forecast that the coming week will be "drier overall with rainfall amounts expected to be well below average across the country" - with the driest conditions in the east and southeast.

Conditions

However, the national meteorological service has said that there is likely to be only "moderate to poor drying conditions" over the coming days because of the likelihood of rain and showers.

"Opportunities for spraying will be quite limited due to spells of rain, showers and often breezy or windy conditions," Met Éireann added.

Electricity

Separately following rain and weather warnings, which have now expired, farms were among the 18,000 premises, mainly in the west and south-west, that were left without power earlier today.

ESB Networks said that its crews had been deployed "since first light" in all impacted areas to continue to restore power and by mid-day approximately 7,000 homes, farms and businesses were without electricity as a result of the weather conditions associated with Met Éireann’s Status Yellow wind warnings. 

According to ESB Networks the vast majority of impacted customers are expected to have supply restored by this evening.