Met Éireann has extended a Status Yellow weather warning for rainfall in four counties in the west and southwest.
The national forecaster has said that there will be heavy rain at times in Galway; Mayo; Cork and Kerry today (Thursday, July 6).
The highest rainfall amounts will be in mountainous and upland areas, while it will also be unseasonably windy too.
Met Éireann
The weather conditions will lead to localised flooding, difficult travelling conditions with increased debris on roads and damage to temporary outdoor structures.
The warning is now set to remain in place for Cork and Kerry until 8:00a.m on Friday (July 7), while it will be valid in Galway and Mayo until midday tomorrow.
A Status Yellow gale warning has also been issued for the western seaboard from Valentia to Slyne Head to Bloody Foreland. The southerly winds will reach gale force 8 at times.
A similar warning for gales has been issued for the northeast coast.
Met Éireann said that the wet and windy conditions will become widespread this afternoon, but the rain will be heaviest in Atlantic coastal counties. Highest temperatures will range from 16° to 18°.
The rain and drizzle will continue tonight, but there will be some dry periods too in parts. It will feel humid in overnight temperatures of 12° to 15°.
Friday will see heavy showers and a risk of thunderstorms in the western half of the country, while it will be drier in the east with some sunny spells.
The southeast winds will be gusty at times and temperatures will reach highs of 18° to 23°.
Meanwhile, the latest data from the EU agency Copernicus has shown that last month was the hottest June on record globally.
“The month was the warmest June globally at just over 0.5° above the 1991-2020 average, exceeding June 2019 – the previous record – by a substantial margin,” the report said.
There were also record-breaking sea surface temperatures recorded, especially in the Atlantic Ocean.
Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent for June since satellite observations began, at 17% below average, breaking the previous June record by a substantial margin.