Met Éireann has issued several weather warnings, as heavy rain is expected to cause river and surface water flooding in many parts of the country over the next couple of days. A yellow level wind warning has also been issued for the entire country on Tuesday.
A status orange rainfall warning for Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford is in place until 9pm on Tuesday. Met Éireann is predicting very heavy rain for these counties on Monday night and into Tuesday, rain that is likely to cause river and surface water flooding. Between 50 and 80mm of rainfall is anticipated in these areas, although this could be higher in mountainous regions.
For a 24-hour period, beginning at 9pm on Monday, a status yellow rainfall warning will be in place for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Limerick, and Connacht, leading to some river and localised surface flooding. Between 30 and 50mm of rainfall is expected in counties affected by this status yellow rain warning.
A yellow wind warning is in place for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Munster, Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Sligo from 9pm on Monday until 6am on Tuesday.
A separate status yellow wind warning has been issued for the entire country, from 6am until 6pm on Tuesday, with wind speeds of up to 65km/h and gusts of up to 110km/h expected. Met Eireann said there is a risk of coastal flooding where winds are onshore.
Meanwhile, the UK Met Office has issued yellow wind and rain warnings for the six counties in Northern Ireland. A spell of windy weather and heavy rain could bring flooding and disruption to travel in the North, the UK body warns. The wind warning takes effect from 2am on Tuesday and will lift at 6pm that day, while the rain warning is active between 3am and 11.59pm on Tuesday.
Outlook
While Wednesday will mark an end to the weather warnings, it will see a wet morning in the east and south of the country, according to Met Éireann. It will be drier in the west, while a mix of bright spells and scattered showers will appear across the country by the afternoon. Showers will hit the west early on Wednesday night, while the rest of the country will be largely dry with long clear spells, the forecaster says.
Thursday will bring a mix of sunny spells and showers, some of which could be heavy with a slight risk of hail. Highest temperatures on Thursday will be between 7 and 10 degrees. Overnight will be largely dry, making way for a Friday that is mainly dry and bright with long spells of sunshine. A few light showers will break out on Friday in the west and northwest, Met Éireann says, with highest temperatures reaching between 9 and 11 degrees.
Current indications suggest a “more settled spell of weather” over the weekend and into the start of March as high pressure dominates, according to the national weather forecast service. The outlook suggests below average rainfall accumulations nationwide will be on the way, while temperatures will remain near to or slightly above average, with the potential for quite cold and frosty nights.
