Heavy rain to set in as cold snap eases

Muireann Duffy

Heavy rain is expected in southern parts of the country as Met Éireann issued a yellow alert for seven counties.

"Spells of heavy rain spreading eastwards will be accompanied by strong and gusty southeasterly winds," the forecaster said.

The rain may bring localised flooding in parts, as well as difficult travel conditions and poor visibility.

The warning will cover Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow from 10am on Wednesday and will remain in place until 1pm on Thursday.

A yellow alert for rain has also been put in place by the UK Met Office for Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down and Tyrone.

The forecaster said the rain is "likely to cause travel disruption in a few places", with the warning valid from 7pm on Wednesday through to 4am on Thursday.

Generally, temperatures will be milder than recent days as maximum temperatures creep back towards 10 degrees.

Overnight temperatures are also expected to stay above freezing for the remainder of the week.