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Met Éireann has issued an orange level weather warning for parts of the country today.
The Western and Midland regions of Ireland are set to experience severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall this evening, going into tonight.
The areas affected include Connacht, Laois, Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary- with parts of Connacht already experiencing the storms.
The orange warning, the second highest in Met Éireann’s warning system, came into effect at 12pm this afternoon and is valid until 11pm tonight.
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Parts of the country, especially in Connacht, should be prepared for a large amount of rainfall in a short period of time, with the potential of spot flooding.
A yellow warning remains in place for the rest of the country with a thunder warning also in place for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Wicklow, Donegal, Cork and Kerry.
The rest of the country should remain dry.
According to Met Éireann, the showers should clear overnight with a return to the recent sunshine we’ve been experiencing expected for most of the country.
Some inland areas may see scattered showers over the weekend but most of Ireland should remain dry with maximum temperatures between 19 to 23 degrees.
The warm weather is expected to continue into the start of next week.