Ireland weather: Status Yellow rainfall warning issued as up to 50mm of rain to drench 11 counties

At around 9pm, heavy rain is expected to pour down on Connacht, as well as Longford, Louth, Westmeath, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan.

Downpours of up 30 to 50mm will drench parts of the country, with higher accumulations in mountainous areas. This will naturally lead to an increased risk of flooding in rivers and certain localised areas.

The weather alert will come into effect at 9pm tonight and will last 24 hours until 9pm on Tuesday.

Monday morning will start off with a bit of overcast and mist, with scattered outbreaks of light rain and drizzle in the southwest. The rain should start to push northeastwards through the afternoon.

A band of heavier and more persistent rain will then move into the southwest during the evening. Temperatures will range from highs of five degrees in the north, to 10 degrees in the south.

Tomorrow afternoon the rain will be less persistent further south, but there will be some heavy outbreaks there too.

It’ll get a bit cooler again in the north, with highs of only four or five degrees, while it’ll be milder elsewhere with highs of 10 or 11 degrees.

From Wednesday onwards, it’ll get even colder with rain turning into sleet in the southeast on Wednesday evening.

Sunny spells and showers of rain, hail and sleet will remain for the rest of the week and the weekend, with temperatures a few degrees below normal and a widespread frost each night.

Thursday night will be one of the most wintery, with a sharp frost in places with temperatures as low as zero to -3 degrees. It’ll stay mostly dry though, with showers retreating to western and northern coastal areas.