A STATUS ORANGE alert for rain will be in place across five counties on Sunday.

The orange alert in place across Cork and Waterford was today extended to counties Carlow, Kilkenny, and Wexford.

In Cork and Waterford, the alert is in place from 8am tomorrow until 6pm.

Across Carlow, Kilkenny, and Wexford the Status Orange warning will be enacted from 1pm tomorrow until midnight.

Met Éireann is warning of heavy rain with some intense and thundery downpours, with possible flooding, dangerous driving conditions, and travel disruption.

Meanwhile, all of Munster will be under a Status Yellow alert for wind and rain from 5am on Sunday morning until 8pm, where heavy rain will be accompanied by strong and gusty winds.

The same alert will be in place from 12 noon tomorrow until 2am on Monday morning across Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wexford, and Wicklow.

Cork County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team convened yesterday evening ahead of the bout of bad weather, with crews deployed earlier yesterday to inspect known risk locations across Cork.

Crews will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend, the council said. Pumping arrangements will be in place in known problem locations.

The council is asking members of the public to exercise caution as driving conditions may be dangerous, with surface flooding possible.

Waterford City and County Council’s severe weather management team also met this morning and is monitoring the situation.

Ground crews are on stand-by to deal with any issues that may arise, and the public has been advised to avoid any unnecessary journeys as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface water flooding expected. 

Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and are reminded to be conscious of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.