A STATUS YELLOW wind warning for six counties in the west and southwest of Ireland will be in force on Wednesday.

Met Éireann is forecasting very strong winds in Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway and Mayo, with gusts of up to 110 kilometres per hour.

The national forecaster said there will be even stronger gusts in coastal areas and high ground.

The warning will come into effect at 1am on Wednesday 12 April and will lapse at 5pm.

The UK Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Antrim and Down, which will be valid from 3pm tomorrow, Tuesday, until 3am on Wednesday.

The national forecast is for widespread heavy showers today, with a chance of hail and isolated thunderstorms and possible spot flooding.

The showers will be most frequent in the east and north and will ease off in the evening. There will be highs of 8 to 11 degrees.

Tomorrow, will start out with widespread showers, some of them heavy. More persistent rain will develop in the southwest in the afternoon and extend to the north east.

A clearance will follow from the west in the early evening. Highest temperatures will range from 7 to 10 degrees in light to moderate southwest to south winds, increasing fresh to strong westerly in the evening.