Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow weather warning for rain for all of Munster, along with counties: Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, and Galway.

The warning will come into effect from 2:00p.m today (Friday, March 21) and will remain in place until 2:00p.m tomorrow (Saturday, March 22).

Met Éireann has warned of heavy rain and a few thundery downpours, which may result in spot flooding.

There will also be strong southeasterly winds, with a small craft warning in place from Mizen Head to Erris Head to Fair Head. Winds will reach force 6, with the warning remaining in place until 1:00p.m today.

Overall throughout the country, it looks like the dry, warm conditions recently experienced are coming to an end. It will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain, most persistent over the western half of the country.

Nationally on Saturday night, there will be further showers or longer spells of rain but becoming lighter and patchier overnight and turning drier in the west with lowest temperatures of 4° to 9° in moderate to fresh northerly winds.

On Sunday, patchy rain and drizzle will gradually clear eastwards with drier, brighter weather following from the west and with sunny spells developing.

Eastern areas will stay mostly cloudy for much of the day with highest temperatures of 8° to 11° with moderate to fresh northerly winds.

Sunday night will be dry and cold with clear spells and mainly light north-west breezes. Lowest temperatures of between 0° and 4° are expected.

Drying conditions will become poor as the weather turns more unsettled. There will also be some deterioration in soil moisture deficits as the weather changes.

Over the last seven days, rainfall amounts were well below normal nationwide. The highest accumulation of rainfall during the week was 2.5mm recorded at Belmullet, Co. Mayo which is 11% of average.