Flooding is expected to be dangerous and disruptive and make driving conditions challenging, particularly in low-lying areas of Co Wicklow overnight, according to Met Éireann, which has issued a status orange weather warning for the county.
The warning is valid until 11am on Saturday.
The national forecaster has also issued a status yellow weather warning for similar but less severe downpours in counties Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Louth and Wexford, valid until 6am on Saturday. Conditions may result in road closures. Public transport is expected to be affected, with passengers being warned to expect delays.
A further status yellow weather warning for heavy rain is due to expire in counties Cork and Kerry by 9pm on Friday.
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However, Met Éireann said that, while the Easter weekend will remain wet, there will be a slight improvement from Saturday, with some brighter and drier weather at times.
In Northern Ireland, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain in parts of Co Antrim and Co Down from 2pm until 3pm on Saturday.
Easter Saturday is expected to start off wet in most places, with a lot of excess surface water around, though it will brighten up later.
Easter Sunday is looking mostly dry and pleasantly warm with temperatures of up to 15 degrees.
Rain will clear from the northeast on Easter Monday morning and should be followed by some sunny spells amid showers. By Tuesday, Met Éireann expects “a mix of sunshine and showers spreading from the Atlantic. Highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees in light westerly breeze.”
Meanwhile, passengers travelling by trains, trams and buses over the Easter bank holiday weekend have been warned to expect significant changes to some schedules.
No trains will operate between Dublin and Belfast on Easter Saturday through to Monday to allow for track maintenance work. Enterprise services will operate as bus transfers between Dublin Connolly, Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry and Belfast.
The Cork commuter train between Glounthaune and Midleton will not operate on the first three days of next week due to engineering works.
On Easter Sunday, trams on the Luas Green line will not run between St Stephen’s Green and Dominick in the north of the city from the first tram until 4.15pm. On the Red line, there may be some delays to facilitate the Easter Sunday parade at the GPO on O’Connell Street.
Dublin Airport anticipates about 460,000 passengers will arrive or depart during the Easter bank holiday weekend. Graham McQueen, spokesman for the DAA, which operates the airport, advised departing passengers to arrive with plenty of time.
“Our security times are consistently quick, with a processing time of under 20 minutes the norm when going through our terminals,” he said.
Shannon Airport anticipates 123,000 passengers during the Easter season, marking its busiest holiday period of the year so far, while 57,000 passengers are expected to arrive and depart from Cork Airport.
On the roads, An Garda Síochána will be conducting a policing operation until next Tuesday.
Gardaí will be placing a particular emphasis on detecting people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as those speeding this weekend, a spokesperson said.
