Bad news in wake of Storm Ciaran as Met Éireann issues grim weather update

There is no let up in the bad weather for Ireland with more heavy rain and awful conditions following Storm Ciaran, Met Éireann has said.

Met Éireann outlook for the coming days says things look like "remaining unsettled with further showers and rain, potentially turning heavy."

The weekend and early days of next week will be miserable with wind, rain and even fog on the horizon for most counties.

Between now and then, Met Éireann's forecast predicts awful conditions on Thursday and Friday.

They say Thursday "will be dry for many with well scattered showers, though showers will turn more frequent and occasionally heavy in the west and southwest later. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees in light to moderate westerly winds, fresher in the west and southwest.

"Thursday night will be dry for most areas with long clear spells. However, scattered showers will continue to feed into northern, western and southwestern coastal counties. A few patches of mist and fog will develop. A touch of frost forming with lowest temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees, milder along coasts, in light to moderate northwesterly winds."

Forecasters say Friday "will be a bright day and dry for many with sunny spells and scattered showers, most frequent in the southwest. Quite breezy in moderate to fresh west to northwest winds, easing in the evening. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees."

Friday night will see a "mainly dry start to the night with clear spells but cloud will thicken from the southwest early in the night. Rain will gradually spread across Munster, south Connacht and south Leinster, turning more persistent towards morning. Further north will stay drier with scattered showers and fog developing. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees in light to moderate easterly winds, fresher in the southwest later."

Met Eireann's forecast for Saturday states: "A dull and damp or wet day over the southern half of the country with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, turning heavy at times with a chance of spot flooding. A foggy morning further north but the fog will gradually clear to leave sunny spells and scattered showers. Any rain will clear to the southeast in the evening. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in light to moderate northerly winds.

"Showers and clear spells will spread from the northwest overnight, most frequent and prolonged in Ulster and Connacht. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees in moderate to fresh northwesterly."

Sunday will bring "a mix of sunshine and showers, heaviest and most frequent in Atlantic coastal counties. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees in moderate westerly winds.

"Showers and clear spells continuing overnight. Lowest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees in moderate to fresh westerly winds."

Beyond the weekend, there will be "sunny spells and showers to start the day" on Monday but "turning cloudier in the afternoon with showery outbreaks of rain spreading from the west. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in moderate southwesterly winds."