As the settled spell of weather is set to come to an end, Met Éireann has issued warnings for heavy rain in several counties for this weekend.

The national forecaster has said that there will be spells of heavy rain with the possibility of a few thundery downpours on Saturday evening (October 18).

The first Status Yellow rainfall warning for counties Cork and Kerry will be valid from 5:00p.m on Saturday until 5:00a.m on Sunday.

A similar warning has been issued for Co. Waterford from 8:00p.m on Saturday until 8:00a.m on Sunday.

The heavy rain will bring the risk of localised flooding and difficult travelling conditions.

The UK Met Office has also issued a Status Yellow rain warning for counties Antrim, Armagh, and Down for the first half of Sunday.

Met Éireann

Met Éireann said that rainfall amounts will be well above average for the next week, with highest accumulations expected in the west and southwest.

During the coming week, daytime temperatures are expected to be around 11° to 14°.

Drying and spraying opportunities will be limited from Saturday onwards due to the unsettled weather.

Poorly drained soils remain saturated, soil moisture deficits (SMDs) for other soils range from 5mm to 10mm.

Moderately or poorly drained soils may become waterlogged over the coming days with the rain forecast.