A Status Yellow warning for wind has been issued today (Friday, January 9) by Met Éireann for seven counties, which will come into effect on Sunday (January 11).

The affected regions are: Clare; Donegal; Galway; Kerry; Leitrim; Mayo; and Sligo. The warning will be in effect from 4:00p.m on Sunday until 10:00p.m on Sunday.

According to the national forecaster, the potential impacts include:

Some wave overtopping;
Loose objects displaced;
Some fallen trees and branches;
Difficult travelling conditions.

Meanwhile the Met Office in the UK has issued a Status Yellow warning for snow and ice for counties in Northern Ireland from this evening.

Icy patches and some hill snow are expected Friday night and tomorrow, Saturday morning in the following counties: Antrim; Armagh; Down; Fermanagh; Tyrone; Derry.

The warning comes into effect at 4:00pm today, Friday and will remain in place until 11:00a.m tomorrow.

Weather forecast

It will be cold today with spells of sunshine but some scattered heavy showers too, mainly affecting Atlantic counties.

The showers will be a wintry mix of rain, hail and sleet, with snow possible over higher ground. Some thunderstorms will occur later too across west and south-west counties.

Highest temperatures of 3°C to 7° are expected, coldest in the north-east, in mostly light to moderate westerly winds, increasing fresh to strong and gusty north-westerly for west and south-west coasts.

Scattered heavy thundery showers will move eastwards this evening and overnight, some wintry with snow for higher ground with the odd rumble of thunder.

Coldest across Ulster, north Leinster and the north midlands with overnight lows of 0° to -3° with a slight to sharp frost as well as some freezing fog, all with just light westerly or variable breezes.

There will be lowest temperatures of 0° to 3° elsewhere with some frost, all in a moderate, occasionally fresh northwest breeze.

It will start cold in places on Saturday morning with frost, ice and fog slow to clear. It will be dry with sunny spells for most though a few wintry showers will affect Ulster and north Leinster.

Cloud will build from the west through the afternoon with outbreaks of rain and drizzle developing across Atlantic counties developing, extending eastwards in the evening.

Highest temperatures of 4° to 9° are expected with mostly light south-westerly breezes.

On Saturday night rain and drizzle in the west will extend eastwards, becoming widespread. Lowest temperatures will range from 0° to 2° in the north and east initially, becoming milder with the rain with lowest temperatures generally of 3° to 7°.

Light to moderate southerly winds will increase fresh to strong.

It will be windy with widespread outbreaks of rain continuing, turning heavy in places with a chance of hail. It will be milder with highest temperatures of 8° to 12°. Southerly winds will be fresh to strong reaching near gale force at times.

On Sunday night, outbreaks of rain will gradually clear north-eastwards with showers and clear spells following and lowest temperatures of 5° to 8°, with south-westerly winds easing moderate to fresh.