Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow rainfall warning for the full country for today, Friday, July 19.

Issued this morning, the alert is valid from 6:00am through to 3:00am tomorrow morning.

According to the national meteorological office, heavy thundery downpours will give high totals of rainfall in short spaces of time today and early tonight.

Today, heavy showers or longer spells of rain will develop widely with embedded thunderstorms and localised spot flooding expected.

There will be some hazy sunny spells at times too, Met Éireann adds.

It will feel humid with top temperatures of 18° to 21° generally, but 16° or 17° will be more the norm in the north and north-west.

Light to moderate cyclonic winds will freshen in the south and it will become very blustery along western and southern coasts.

There will be further heavy or thundery showers in many areas this evening and at first tonight, prolonged in parts especially in the midlands and north with spot flooding likely.

However, it will become drier and clearer from the west overnight. Lowest temperatures of 10° to 13° are expected with a moderate to fresh north-west wind setting in.

There will be fairly poor drying conditions for mid-summer in the coming week; the best drying likely tomorrow.

There will be opportunities for spraying on Saturday. Thereafter, opportunities will be limited due to the blustery and often wet weather.

Regarding field conditions, soil moisture deficits are generally high over the southern half of the country, between 55mm and 70mm, which is restricting growth somewhat.

These deficits will reduce by at least 20mm, locally more, over the coming seven-day period, according to Met Éireann.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is looking bright with sunny spells and some scattered showers, according to the national forecaster. Highest temperatures will reach around 16° to 21° in moderate west to north-west winds backing westerly.

Much of tomorrow night will be dry but cloud will increase from the Atlantic with rain developing in western parts towards morning and it will become breezy there with freshening southerly winds.

Lowest temperatures will drop to 11° to 14°, Met Éireann says.

Outlook

Sunday will be a breezy day with outbreaks of rain, possibly turning heavy in the west and north with the best chance of dry and bright weather in the east.

Highest temperatures of 18° to 22° are expected, in fresh southerly winds.

A humid night will follow with temperatures not lower than 15° to 17°. Rain will affect many areas during the night, with drier weather following from the south towards Monday morning.