Met Éireann has issued a Status Orange rain warning for Kerry, with forecasters warning of heavy downpours today that are likely to cause flooding and make travel very difficult.

The alert, which runs from 6am until 8pm, was upgraded on Wednesday afternoon as confidence grew that the county would see the heaviest of the rainfall.

A wider Status Yellow warning for rain is in place at the same time for Cavan, Donegal, all of Munster and Connacht, as well as Longford. Met Éireann said widespread rain, heavy at times, could lead to localised flooding and difficult conditions on the roads.

Attention is also turning to Storm Amy, the first named storm of the 2025–26 season, which is forecast to bring strong and gusty southwesterly winds on Friday. A nationwide Status Yellow wind warning will come into effect at midday Friday and remain in place until midnight. Met Éireann warned of possible fallen trees, displaced debris and hazardous travel conditions.

The UK Met Office has issued a matching Yellow wind warning for counties across Northern Ireland from 4pm on Friday until 6am on Saturday.

Marine Warnings

Meanwhile, Met Éireann has issued a series of Small Craft, Gale and Storm Warnings for Irish coastal waters and the Irish Sea over the coming days, with hazardous conditions expected from Thursday into the weekend.

A Small Craft Warning will be in place from 09:00 Thursday to 09:00 Friday, as southerly winds, veering westerly, are forecast to reach force 6 or higher on all coasts.

A Gale Warning follows from 17:00 Thursday to midnight, with southerly winds expected to reach gale force 8 in waters from Fair Head to Carlingford Lough to Carnsore Point, as well as on the Irish Sea.

Conditions are set to worsen further on Friday. A Status Orange Storm Warning has been issued from 15:00 Friday 3 October to midnight, with southwesterly winds reaching storm force 10 at times between Slyne Head, Rossan Point and Malin Head.

A renewed Gale Warning will then come into effect from 09:00 Friday to 15:00 Saturday, covering all coasts and the Irish Sea, where southerly winds, veering westerly, are expected to reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9.

Met Éireann is advising mariners and coastal communities to exercise caution, warning that sea conditions will be particularly hazardous during this period.

Met Éireann said conditions will remain unsettled into the weekend as Storm Amy tracks northeastwards close to Ireland and Britain.