LAST UPDATE | 9 Apr

HEAVY RAIN IS forecast for today and more is to come, with a Status Yellow warning issued for five more counties tomorrow.

From 12pm to 9pm tomorrow Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo will be placed under a Status Yellow alert for wind.

Earlier Status Yellow rain alerts were issued for Cork, Kerry and Waterford. This warning is in place from 9am tomorrow morning to 9pm tomorrow night.

Met Éireann has warned of spells of heavy rain which could cause localised flooding and difficult travelling conditions.

Meanwhile, there will be sunny spells with scattered blustery showers for most today, some heavy with a chance of hail and thunder.

The showers will gradually retreat northwards and most places will become dry through the evening and it’ll be cooler than recent days with highest temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees.

There’ll then be a few showers in the north early tonight but otherwise dry and increasingly cloudy.

Rain and drizzle will spread from the west to most areas overnight.

Tomorrow will be a wet and windy day with gales in coastal areas.

The rain will be widespread and some heavy and squally bursts are possible, especially in the late afternoon and evening, with highest temperatures of 6 to 11 degrees.

Friday night meanwhile is shaping up to be wet and windy, with gales on western, northern and eastern coasts.

Some heavy and squally bursts of rain are also possible, though the rain will clear eastwards overnight and be followed by scattered showers of rain or sleet and some clear spells.

Lowest overnight temperatures on Friday heading into Saturday of 1 to 5 degrees.

It will become windy again on Saturday with fresh to strong and gusty south to southwest winds and gales on coasts.

A crisp and sunny start in the east will give way to scattered blustery showers spreading from the west.

Some of the showers will be heavy with a chance of hail and thunder, and a few could be wintry about high ground in the west early on.

Sunday meanwhile will be a breezy and blustery day with a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers.

Some of the showers will be heavy and there is a chance of hail.

And after a mostly dry and bright start to next week, showers on Monday morning will then extend from the west, but clear again from most areas during the evening.

The further outlook for next week is for continuing changeable weather, with wet and breezy conditions at times.