Met Éireann warn 'heavy showers' may cause floods in Donegal as 15-hour alert issued

The15-hour alert is in place from midnight tonight until 3pm on Monday.

The national forecaster warned that the “heavy showers or longer spells of rain” on Sunday night may result in some rivers flooding as well as localised flooding.

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow gale warning is currently in place from Mizen Head to Erris Head to Fair Head and on the North Irish Sea until 6am Monday morning.

Coastal counties in the northwest should be wary of southwest winds, which are predicted to reach gale force 8 in these areas.

And the rest of the country is in for a freezing week, as Met Éireann expect temperatures to drop with some frost and snow at night over the next few days.

Monday will begin as a bright and breezy morning before showery outbreaks will consume the northern half of the country throughout the day.

Highest temperatures will range between seven to ten generally but feeling colder over Ulster with afternoon highs of five to eight degrees.

As Monday evening approaches, showers will begin to spread from the north, which “may turn to sleet over parts of Munster and south Leinster overnight, falling as snow over higher ground.”

While Tuesday will be a predominantly dry and bright day with good spells of sunshine, it will feel much cooler than previous days with highest temperatures of just three to six degrees.

Temperatures will plummet further on Tuesday night, with lows of -3 to one degrees as a “widespread sharp frost” develops and cloud forms throughout the evening.

Current indications predict that Wednesday will be another chilly but dry and bright day although heavy clouds will emerge at dusk, bringing an outpour of rain along.

Showers will be heavy in places with a risk of localised flooding. These unsettled conditions are expected to continue throughout the week and into the weekend.