MET ÉIREANN HAS issued a yellow weather warning for a number of counties as the country prepares for a spell of unsettled conditions.

The warning is in place for Dublin, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford tonight and is valid from 8pm on Saturday to 9am Sunday.

Met Éireann’s warning reads: “A period of strong and blustery northwest winds will develop later Saturday, starting along the Atlantic Seaboard and extending to other coastal counties overnight. High seas expected also.

“Northwest winds, mean speeds 55 to 65 km/h, giving gusts between 90 and 110 km/h.

“The strongest of the winds will be in exposed coastal locations, where winds may temporarily exceed these values

Met Eireann’s national forecast for today states that it will be cloudy in all areas this morning, before a band of rain spreads east across the country later on.

Highest temperatures will be nine to 11 degrees, but it will turn colder later with minimum temperatures of zero to three degrees.