THE HEAVY RAIN that has battered Ireland overnight is set to continue today, with Met Éireann warning of the risk of flooding in some areas as heavy rain continues into today.

Most of the country has seen significant rainfall overnight, with Newport in Mayo recording 2.5 millimetres of rainfall in the hour between 6am and 7am this morning, while the automated weather point at Malin Head reported wind speeds of 38 knots (70 kilometres per hour) at 7am.

That heavy rain will continue into this morning, with a risk of flooding in the east and north which bore the brunt of the rain yesterday.

A gale warning also remains in place with severe gusts in the north and northwest.

Nationally it will remain overcast with rain in most areas, though sunny spells are set to develop later in the afternoon – with the exception of the east, where cloud cover is forecast for the rest of the day.

The cloud and wind are to remain into the evening, with scattered outbreaks of rain this evening which will again be at its worst in the east. Scattered showers will continue into tomorrow as occasional sunny spells finally break through in the east.