Rain and snow weather warnings in place for 12 counties

A rain warning remains in place for 12 counties as temperatures plummet across the island of Ireland.

Water levels in rivers and canals are being monitored in Dublin after weeks of heavy rain led to flooding in homes and roads in parts of the capital.

After a nationwide low temperature warning expired early on Saturday, new warnings came into effect for 12 counties in the Republic and Northern Ireland.

A Status Yellow rain-snow warning remains in place for Cavan, Donegal, Longford and all five counties in Connacht until midnight.

Forecaster Met Eireann warned that showers could turn to sleet or snow and create difficulties when travelling as well as poor visibility.

A Yellow level snow and ice warning is in place for counties Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry until 10am, which the Met Office said could bring icy conditions.

Mayo County Council said roads would be gritted on Friday evening and Saturday morning, and urged the public to exercise caution when using the roads.

Dublin City Council said it was actively monitoring surface and river water levels across the city.

The council said it was working with the ESB in relation to the River Liffey, Waterways Ireland in relation to the Grand Canal, as well as Uisce Eireann.

“Flood management and emergency crews continue to be active on the ground to maximise protection from the risk of flooding,” a spokesperson said.

“Further intermittent rainfall is expected; however no Met Eireann rain warning is in place.

“Our crews will continue to remain active across the weekend to address and potential further issues arising.

“The Council maintains supplies of sandbags at strategic locations for deployment in response to identified flooding risks, with priority given to critical infrastructure and locations assessed as being at immediate risk.

“For urgent flooding issues during working hours, please contact DCC Customer Services on 01 222 2222. For urgent issues outside normal working hours, the DCC Out of Hours Team can be contacted on 01 222 3150. Further updates will issue as conditions develop.”