Met Éireann issues rainfall warnings for Munster

Get your umbrellas at the ready as Met Éireann has issued rainfall warning for most of Munster.

A status orange rainfall warning is valid from Sunday morning until Monday morning in Cork with the forecaster predicting 40-70mm of rain.

A status yellow warning has been issued for Kerry, Waterford, Limerick and Tipperary.

Bitterly cold conditions are expected on Saturday night with lowest temperatures of minus two degrees predicted.

The northern half of the country will be mainly dry on Sunday with rain localised in the south.

But the good news is Met Éireann is predicting milder weather will return next week.

Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy said there would be hail and heavy thundery rain showers over the weekend, and sleet on the hills.

Mr Murphy said Saturday night would bring frost as temperatures are expected to drop below zero.

Mr Murphy said Sunday would be “not quite as cold” with temperatures rising a little to between 5 and 9 degrees.

“Rain is going to push up from the south on Sunday. It’s uncertain how far north it will go but there’s certainly a good chance of rain over much of the southern half of the country and parts of Connacht,” he said.

Monday is expected to be “breezy” with showers and outbreaks of rain, which will be heavy in places.

“It’ll be reasonably mild then from Tuesday onwards,” Mr Murphy said.

“Normal” temperatures for April, which are between 9 to 12 degrees, are expected to return next week.

Mr Murphy said the “variable” temperatures were not unusual for this month.

“The term ‘April showers’ is relevant in this situation as well because there are very heavy showers during the week and some very heavy showers tomorrow, so it is typical April weather,” he said.

In March, Met Éireann’s monthly weather statistics showed nearly half of all stations experienced dry spells with almost all recording below average rainfall for the month.

The mean air temperatures for the month were described as being below average across much of the country with some exceptions in the north and west.

There was one named storm for Ireland last month; Storm Jake brought gusts of 133 km/hr to Mace Head in Galway.