LAST UPDATE | 26 Sep

MET ÉIREANN HAS warned there’s “plenty of rain on the way over the next day or so” with Status Yellow alerts in place across Dublin, Louth, Meath and Wicklow.

From 9am until 8pm today, these four counties are under Status Yellow alerts for wind and rain.

It’s warned that rain will be heavy at times, coupled with gusty winds which will be strongest near the coasts and on higher ground.

Potential impacts include spot flooding and traffic delays and disruption.

Meanwhile, a Yellow alert for rainfall is already in place across counties Antrim, Armagh and Down.

That alert kicked in at 8pm last night and will remain in place until 12pm today.

The PSNI has advised that motorists should exercise caution and reduce speed when driving on the roads this morning due to the adverse weather conditions.

Meteorologist with Met Éireann Mark Bowe has said there was a “good taste of rain yesterday, and there’s plenty more on the way over the next day or so”.

“We are well on track for this week to be a good bit wetter and cooler than normal,” said Bowe.

He explained that there is currently a “very complex area of low pressure” drifting along the south coast at the moment, and that “it’s dragging plenty of fronts along with it”.

Low pressure generally leads to unsettled weather conditions, while a clashing of weather fronts can cause rain.

“These front runs are getting a bit of an extra boost from the jet stream that’s orientated itself overhead,” added Bowe.

He further explained that while the rain is heaviest across the northern half of the country at the moment, these bands of rain will intensify later in the morning and move south.

The rain will then become widespread across the country during the afternoon and evening and heaviest in the east.

“The rain does eventually clear to the south by Thursday evening, but it’s going to stay very cloudy, with a few showers drifting in,” said Bowe, who added that there is another cool night in store, with lows of four to seven degrees.

Bowe said there will be sunny spells and showers tomorrow, with the best of any weather across Munster and south Leinster.

He forecasts a drier, but still rather cloudy, day on Saturday, with a few showers for the northwest with highs of around 11 to 13 degrees.

However, he cautioned that current indications suggest a very wet and unsettled Sunday.