Waterford warned to brace for more rain and flooding as Met Éireann issues Orange alert

Waterford is being warned to brace for even more rain and flooding in the days ahead as Met Éireann has issued a Status Orange rain warning for the county.

The Orange alert runs from 3am Thursday to 3am Friday with forecasters warning that “spells of very heavy rain falling on already saturated ground combined with high river levels and high tides” could lead to localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions.

A second Status Orange rain warning is also in place for Wicklow for the same period, while a Status Yellow rain warning also covers Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Wexford, Monaghan and Tipperary as the country continues to be battered by wet weather.

Even before the Orange alert kicks in, Met Éireann said there is a “continued possibility of flooding in places due to a combination of already saturated ground, high river levels and high tides.”

Today, Wednesday, will stay largely cloudy with lingering rain and showers, some of which Met Éireann said “will be heavy,” with flooding still possible in places.

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Conditions will deteriorate further overnight as rain spreads into Munster and south Leinster, before Thursday turns “a wet and rather windy day with outbreaks of rain becoming widespread through the morning.”

Met Éireann warned the rain will be “heaviest and most frequent in the southeast and east,” while “fresh to strong and gusty easterly winds will reach near gale force at times near southern and eastern coasts.”

The unsettled spell is not expected to clear quickly, with Met Éireann warning in its outlook for the rest of the week that “low pressure to the southwest of Ireland will bring further spells of rain this week, the most persistent and heaviest of these affecting the south and east of the country”.

Forecasters added that the ongoing combination of “already saturated ground, high river levels and high tides mean flooding is likely along rivers and in coastal areas”.

Looking further ahead, Met Éireann said “current indications are for similar conditions to persist into the weekend,” with more rain and flooding risks remaining.