MET ÉIREANN HAS issued a Status Yellow rain warning for Cork and Kerry for the next 24 hours.

The warning came into effect at 12pm and is due to last until noon tomorrow amid expected heavy bouts of rain.

The forecaster warned of “rain with heavy falls at times combined with already saturated ground” and impacts included localised flooding and difficult travel conditions.

The UK Met Office has issued a similar warning for Down from 9pm this evening until 3am, noting that heavy rain may lead to “some disruption to transport and utilities”.

A small craft marine warning is in place around the entire coast until 11pm tomorrow night, cautioning that south to southeast winds will reach force 6 or higher.

Overall, Met Éireann expects today to be “largely dry with sunny spells in the north and east this afternoon”, though rain over southwestern counties “will continue to spread northeastwards to all areas this afternoon and will continue this evening”.

Highest temperatures will be around 9 to 11 degrees Celsius, according to the forecast.

Tomorrow is expected to be breezy with bright or sunny spells and widespread showers, some of them heavy or prolonged with hail and a possibility of isolated thunderstorms. Highest temperatures will be 12 to 14 degrees.