Bank Holiday washout for Carlow as Met Éireann issues weather warning for rain and floods

Ireland is bracing for a wet and unsettled Bank Holiday Monday, with Met Éireann issuing two Status Yellow rain warnings for Carlow and seven other counties as further heavy rain moves in on already saturated ground.

The national forecaster has warned that localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions are possible from Monday afternoon through to Tuesday, with warnings starting and ending at different times depending on location.

The first Status Yellow rain warning covers Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork and Waterford. It will come into effect at 1pm on Bank Holiday Monday and remain in place until 9am on Tuesday morning.

A second rain warning has been issued for Dublin, Louth and Wicklow, but this alert starts later, taking effect from 9pm on Monday night and running until 1pm on Tuesday.

Met Éireann said “further heavy rain falling on saturated ground combined with high river levels and high tides” could lead to flooding issues and hazardous travel in these counties.

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According to Met Éireann, Sunday will improve for many areas, with rain clearing eastwards during the morning and drier, brighter conditions developing, bringing spells of sunshine and highs of 7 to 10 degrees.

However, conditions are set to deteriorate again on Bank Holiday Monday.

The national forecast says Monday will be cloudy but mostly dry at first, before outbreaks of rain move into the southwest during the afternoon, “turning heavy at times”.

Monday night is expected to be particularly wet, with Met Éireann warning it will be “wet with outbreaks of rain in Munster and south Leinster, turning heavy at times”, while cloud and patchy rain linger elsewhere.

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Tuesday will remain mostly cloudy, with outbreaks of rain or drizzle becoming more widespread, followed by further unsettled conditions through midweek.

Met Éireann says “low pressure will continue to dominate”, with a continuation of unsettled weather and further spells of rain and showers expected right through the week.

With ground conditions already saturated and river levels high in many areas, people travelling over the Bank Holiday are being urged to take extra care, particularly in counties covered by the weather warnings.