Met Éireann has issued a status yellow thunderstorm warning for Cork and five other counties as heavy showers have been reported around the country.

It will remain in place until 7pm this evening so it should clear in plenty of time for Santa's arrival tonight.

The national forecaster has warned of thunderstorms with heavy rain and isolated hail in the affected areas.

Elsewhere, frequent heavy showers and breezy conditions are expected across the southern half of the country.

Tonight, there will be clear spells as well as some scattered showers, some heavy and prolonged. In some parts, isolated thunderstorms and hail could merge to create longer spells of rain at times.

Christmas Day forecast 

Christmas Day will be another showery day with a chance of some longer spells of rain.

It will turn much colder later in the day with the risk of icy surfaces so drivers travelling tomorrow evening should take extra care and plan their journeys, allowing plenty of time to arrive at their destination.

Showers in the northwest of the country will turn to sleet and snow over high ground.

Christmas night will be cold with widespread frost and possibly some ice developing under mostly clear skies. There will be a few wintry showers around, mainly affecting the northwest coastal counties.

St Stephen's Day will be a much brighter day although it will remain cold.

Met Éireann forecasts sunny spells and scattered showers which will be most frequent in western and northern coastal counties. Showers early in the day may fall as sleet in some parts but they will transition back to rain as the day goes on.

Temperatures will drop back close to freezing once again on St Stephen's night but it will warm up quickly as cloud and rain spreads from the west becoming widespread by morning.