Met Éireann has today (Friday, August 4) issued a potato blight advisory for the entire country for the coming days.

The national forecaster said that the southwest, west and north will be particularly at risk.

The advisory, which is now in effect, is currently due to remain in place until 1:00a.m on Wednesday (August 9).

Image: Met Éireann

Conditions for spraying will be moderate to poor over the coming days with some spells of wet weather, accompanied by blustery winds at times.

The best opportunities will arise between the showers on Friday and Sunday.

Potato blight is a disease caused by a fungal-like organism called Phytophthora infestans.

The disease spreads rapidly in humid weather in the foliage of potatoes and tomatoes, causing the foliage to decay and the potato to be infected.

According to Teagasc, around €5 million is spent by potato growers on fungicides annually in Ireland to mitigate the impacts of blight.

Met Éireann

Meanwhile, as Storm Antoni approaches, Met Éireann has issued two Status Yellow weather warnings for rain, while another has been issued for wind.

The earlier of the two warnings for rain will come into effect from 8:00p.m today and remain in place until 8:00a.m Saturday. It applies to all counties in Connacht, as well as Clare and Tipperary.

The second warning will come into effect from 11:00p.m today, and will remain in pace until 10:00a.m Saturday afternoon.

This warning will cover Leinster, along with counties Monaghan and Cavan.

The spells of heavy rain could lead to spot flooding, poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions.

The Status Yellow weather warning for wind for Cork, Kerry, Wexford and Waterford comes into effect from 4:00a.m Saturday, and will remain in place until midday on Saturday.

The very strong north to northwest winds will bring gusts of up to 110km/hr bringing the possibility of falling branches and damage to temporary structures.

The Met Office in the UK has issued a yellow warning for heavy rain in all counties in Northern Ireland, which will be in place from midnight tonight until midday on Saturday.