The UK Met Office has warned that severe weather warnings may be issued later this week as low pressure brings increasingly unsettled conditions across the country.

After a spell of calm, grey weather, heavy rain over the weekend marked the return of more active systems, with 59.2mm recorded at Killowen, Co Down, between midnight and 2pm on Sunday. Flooding was reported in the Newcastle area of the county on Sunday morning.

The Met Office said the low-pressure system now dominating the Atlantic will push further east, bringing widespread rain and gusty winds through the coming days.

“By Wednesday evening we’ll see increasingly unsettled weather moving in from the west,” said Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Tom Crabtree. “Overnight, heavy rain and gusty winds will move along the south of the UK, with 25 to 40mm possible over twelve hours in some southern counties.”

He added that the unsettled weather would become more widespread through Thursday, with potential for severe weather warnings to be issued depending on how the system develops.

By the weekend, colder air from the north will bring a drop in temperatures, with daytime values expected to fall into the low double figures and the possibility of wintry showers over higher ground in Scotland.

In relation to potentially windy weather on Thursday, Met Éireann says, “Rain on Wednesday night will gradually clear to showery conditions on Thursday with sunny spells as it turns colder. Quite windy too with blustery west to northwest winds.”