Rain, snow and flooding warnings across island of Ireland

Most of the island of Ireland is under weather warnings as forecasters warned of a widespread risk of flooding.

A spell of heavy rainfall overnight from Tuesday and throughout Wednesday will be falling on already saturated ground and rivers close to bursting banks.

Republic of Ireland forecasting agency Met Eireann issued several yellow-level warnings in which members of the public were told there is a flood risk in 17 counties.

However, the country’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management said “flooding is a risk across the country”.

It said: “Whether or not a yellow rain warning is in place for a county, all areas will remain at risk of flooding.”

A yellow warning for rain applies to all of Leinster as well as Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford since 11pm on Tuesday until 11pm on Wednesday.

The forecasting agency said there is a risk of flooding, poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions in these areas, which are also experiencing high river levels.

The inclement conditions will be exacerbated by strong and gusty south-easterly winds in five of these counties.

Wexford, Wicklow, Meath, Louth and Dublin are under a yellow warning for wind, with Met Eireann also cautioning against wave overtopping amid high tides until 1pm.

The double warning applies to areas in the east of the country which have been severely affected by flooding in recent weeks.

The trend of wetter-than-average conditions in the east and south has continued into February, with parts of the east experiencing three to four times the average rainfall amounts that would normally be expected during the first two weeks of February.

A third yellow warning for rain applies to Donegal between 2am and 2pm on Wednesday, with Met Eireann warning that falls of sleet and snow are possible.

Some wintry precipitation is also possible over high ground in Wicklow.

A yellow warning for rain and snow was also put in place for all of Northern Ireland for much of Wednesday.

The Met Office said: “An area of rain, falling as snow over some high ground, will move slowly east across much of Northern Ireland during Wednesday, before tending to ease later in the day.

“This will be accompanied by strong south-easterly winds which may gust 45-55 mph in places, particularly during the morning.

“Rainfall totals of 10-15 mm fairly widely, with 20-30 mm in some southern and western areas.

“Whilst many places will see little if any lying snow, there is potential for several centimetres to accumulate on higher ground, chiefly above 250 metres, with the main focus being over the Sperrins during the morning.”