Weather warning put in place as rain sweeps across Ireland

Status yellow rainfall alert issued amid expected downpours this weekend

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow rainfall warning for five counties along the Atlantic coast for the duration of Saturday. File photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Met Éireann has issued a status yellow rainfall warning for five counties along the Atlantic coast for the duration of Saturday. File photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

A status yellow rainfall warning was in place for five counties along the Atlantic coast on Saturday, as rain swept across the country.

Heavy rain bringing accumulations of up to 20mm in upland areas was forecast for counties Galway, Mayo, Clare, Kerry and Limerick.

The weather warning was in place from 8am on Saturday until Saturday evening. It had originally been issued until midnight.

The national forecast for Saturday is for persistent spells of rain, with highest temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees. Winds will be strongest in the west and south, but lighter across the rest of the country.

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The rain showers will begin to clear off from Saturday night, with driest spells in the north and eastern parts of the country. Temperatures will drop to as low as 2 degrees in eastern counties, with frost possible during the night, Met Éireann has forecast.

There will still be strong winds along the west coast in Munster as the heavy rainfall clears off on Saturday night.

The forecast for Sunday is to be mainly dry, with sunny spells and some rain showers in the west. Pockets of rain will move across the northeast of the country during the day, the national forecaster said.

Sunday night will bring another spell of heavy rainfall to the Atlantic coast. Top temperatures during Sunday will reach 12 degrees.

The outlook for Monday is for showers of rain and cold conditions, with Tuesday and Wednesday set to be dry but cold.

Jack Power

Jack Power

Jack Power is acting Europe Correspondent of The Irish Times