Ahead of the wintry weather, the forecaster has issued a Status Yellow rain warning for Donegal due to possible heavy spells of rain until 11am on Tuesday, with the risk of localised flooding, poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions.
A Status Yellow wind warning has also been issued for Donegal, Galway and Mayo, until 11am on Tuesday.
Gale-force and gusty winds may cause fallen branches or trees, debris and loose objects displaced, difficult travelling conditions and wave overtopping, the forecaster said.
Another Status Yellow rain warning has been put in place for Cork and Kerry from 6am on Tuesday until 6am on Wednesday.
These two counties can expect persistent rain, which might cause localised flooding and hazardous travelling conditions.
A status yellow wind warning is also in place for Northern Ireland until 7pm.
Met Éireann meteorologist Mark Bowe said New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were expected to be “very windy, blustery and wet”.
“We’re going to have a series of low-pressure centres move over the country on Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said.
Forecast
Met Éireann said it will be rather cloudy and wet on Tuesday morning with a band of rain drifting down over the country. That rain will move away during the afternoon but it will remain cloudy with a few isolated showers following. Highs of 8 to 11C in fresh to strong southwesterly breezes, which will ease later.
Rain will persist overnight in the south and middle of the country, with some heavy, with lows of 1 to 4C.
It will be very rainy again in the south early on Wednesday, turning very cold in the evening and from then on dropping to as low as 0 to -3C, with frost and ice possible.
Thursday will be mostly dry, sunny and cold, with just a few light showers, with highs of 1 to 5C, dropping to between -4 and 1C overnight with widespread frost.
Friday will be “bitterly cold”, forecasters said, with highs of just 5.
The weekend is set to be blustery and unsettled, but temperatures are set to rise again towards the end of the weekend.
Advice
Ahead of the rain warnings coming into effect, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has issued advice about driving on wet roads.
“In heavy rain, visibility is reduced, slow down and allow extra distance between you and the vehicle in front,” weather forecaster Teresa Mannion said in a video for the RSA.
“On wet roads, aquaplaning can happen when a film of water separates your tyres from the road, causing your car to skid. If your car aquaplanes, don’t brake fast or pull sharply on the steering wheel. Instead, ease off the accelerator and let the car slow down itself until you feel the tyres regaining grip.
“Do not try to steer or brake until grip has been restored. Keep a steady hand on the wheel and steer with small movements to correct your course. Make sure you watch your speed in wet conditions,” she said.
