A Status Orange rain warning is in effect for Dublin, Wicklow, Waterford and Louth, while a Yellow warning is also in place for nine other counties as very heavy rain is expected over much of the east and southeast of the country.
Met Éireann is warning of heavy rain falling on already saturated ground, which could cause localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions.
The Status Orange warning for Waterford will be in effect until 9am tomorrow.
The Status Orange warnings for Dublin and Wicklow will be in place until 3pm tomorrow, while the warning for Louth is in effect until 6pm tomorrow.
Motorists in affected areas are being warned not to drive into flood water.
⚠️❗️Warnings updated⬇️
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 5, 2026
ℹ️https://t.co/w5QtJ1V6un pic.twitter.com/4i8Hy0s40m
Separately, a Status Yellow rain warning is in effect for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wexford and Tipperary until 9am tomorrow.
Cavan, Monaghan and Meath are also be under a Status Yellow rain warning until 6pm tomorrow.
In all cases, Met Éireann is warning that very heavy rain will fall on already saturated ground, which combined with high tides and high river levels, will lead to localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travelling conditions.
The UK Met Office has issued a Yellow warning for rain for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone and Derry, which will be in effect until midnight tomorrow.
Met Éireann senior forecaster Gerry Murphy said that "flooding is on the cards", but it is hard to define where it will hit.
He added that rainfall amounts are high, and urged people to be vigilant and prepare for the possibility of flooding.
Mr Murphy said the current weather system, which sees the low pressures hitting the south more so than normal, will continue today and tomorrow and further bands of rain next week will mean unsettled weather.
Wicklow County Council said it has taken a number of preventative measures, including outdoor crews working to clear drains and gullies that have become blocked with flood debris; crews prepared and ready to respond to areas likely to be impacted by forecast high intensity rainfall; and stocks of sandbags have been replenished and available at depots across the county.
Technically we are now at High Tide in Wexford and because the wind has swung North-East it appears that the worst has passed here. pic.twitter.com/OozAIBO0f7
— Micheal Mac Suibhne (@MicMacSuibh) February 5, 2026
It added that roads subject to flooding and structural damage have been closed to traffic and that work continues to assess the scale of damage caused to the road network.
Waterford City and County Council are making sandbags available in some of their depots and are advising people to stay away from coastal areas.
Wexford County Council said roads are flooded in places where motorists might not ordinarily expect flooding.
The council had installed aqua dams along exposed parts of the quay in Wexford town ahead of high tide around 9am, which passed without incident.
The council said that much of the spot flooding and pooling of surface water is caused by run-off from land, which combined with full drainage systems, will take time to recover.
High coastal levels will reduce the capacity for river discharge and increase flood risk in low-lying areas, especially at high tide, it said.
The council added that high spring tides for the remainder of the week, combined with strong winds and surge, may cause wave overtopping and coastal flooding in places.
Read more: Live: Updates as they happen
