Heavy rain sweeps Northern Ireland

The yellow alert was issued on Tuesday, and the downfall is expected to last until Wednesday evening.

It is thought the rain could cause localised flooding, especially in eastern parts of the region, and driving conditions have become increasingly difficult.

The yellow warning advises people to be prepared that road surfaces may be wet and the weather could cause disruption to traffic, so journeys will take longer than usual.

The rain on Wednesday morning will be followed by bands of blustery showers during the afternoon and evening.

The weather warning ends just before midnight on Wednesday, after which it seems the weather will look up, as the Met Office has not put anything in place for Thursday.

The Republic is also being hit by heavy rain with reports of severe flooding in areas of Dublin. Gardai have urged all motorists to exercise extreme caution, switch lights on and leave extra time to get to their destination.

Between 25 and 50 mm of rain is expected to fall between Tuesday and Wednesday evening, with Munster and Leinster thought to be suffering the brunt of the downfall.