A STATUS YELLOW wind warning is currently in place for counties Donegal, Galway, and Mayo.

The alert is in place from now until 8pm tonight.

Met Éireann warns that strong to gale force, south to southwest winds with gusts of to 110km/h are expected.

Meanwhile, the forecaster says it will be mild and windy over all today, with a good deal of cloud.

There will also be long dry periods and patchy rain or drizzle.

However, more persistent rain will develop in western and northwestern counties in the evening., with top day time temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees.

It will stay mild and breezy overnight, but outbreaks of rain will affect Atlantic coastal counties at times.

Elsewhere, it will be largely dry with just some patchy rain or drizzle at times, with lowest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in strong and gusty southerly winds.

This weather will carry on into Friday, with it being mostly cloudy with scattered outbreaks of rain or drizzle.

It will be mostly dry across the eastern half of the country, while another mild and windy day is in story Friday with highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees in strong southerly winds.

And into Friday night, there will be scattered outbreaks of rain or drizzle across the country, with more persistent falls in the south.

But another mild night in store with lowest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees in moderate winds.