Met Eireann has a new weather warning Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for four counties in the west of Ireland.
Thunder, lightning and heavy showers are expected to hit Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo this evening, with the chance of hail leading to possible spot flooding and hazardous driving conditions.
The warning was issued on Saturday afternoon and is valid from 2pm until 9pm tonight.
Weather expert Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather wrote on Twitter on Saturday afternoon that "plenty of lightning" had already struck parts of Co Kerry.
Meanwhile, a second Status Yellow alert for strong winds is in place overnight on Saturday for five counties; Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Donegal.
The wind warning is valid from 10am Saturday until 8am Sunday and reads: "Southerly winds, veering southwesterly, will be very strong and gusty, especially near coasts with localised wave overtopping possible."
The “very unsettled” weather that we are experiencing is thanks to the powerful effects of the jet stream, which is set to lash the country with torrential rain and strong gusts over the weekend.
It threatens a ‘conveyor belt’ of low pressure systems sweeping from the Atlantic, which are set to dominate Ireland’s weather into next week.
Saturday night is forecast to be windy, especially in the west and north of the country, with some heavy showers and a possibility of hail and thunder. It will be a chilly night with lowest temperatures of 1C to 4C.
In its forecast for Sunday, Met Eireann said it will begin blustery with moderate to fresh southerly winds, strong at times near Atlantic coasts.
It's not all bad news with some "sunny spells" throughout the day, however there will be further bands of showers with heaviest and most persistent rain in the west and south of Ireland with some "hail and thunderstorms possible."
They add that there is a chance of sleet showers on higher ground in the west and southwest with highest temperatures of 5C to 9C.
Sunday night will bring clear spells and further showers, of rain or hail, mainly over the western half of the country. Lowest temperatures of 1C to 4C with moderate to fresh westerly winds.
And the national forecaster has predicted the blustery and wet conditions are set to continue into next week and possibly beyond.
Met Eireann's outlook for the coming week is set to be "unsettled with wet and windy weather at times".
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