Drivers urged to keep revs high and speed low as heavy rain forecast

Weather warnings are in place with gardaí appealing for motorists to slow down to compensate for dangerous driving conditions.

The gardaí said local flooding today and tomorrow could present hazardous conditions on the roads and they asked for those travelling to slow down and allow more time for their journeys.

The appeal came after Met Éireann forecast heavy rain in parts of the East and South.

The East will continue to be at a heightened risk of flooding until tomorrow.

AA Ireland reminded motorists to avoid driving through flooded roadways and only do so if it is clear the car can clear the water.

If driving through shallow water is necessary, the AA said to stay in the centre of the road, where the ground tends to be higher, and keep the revs high and the speed low.

The unsettled spell is expected to continue until next week but the threat of flooding is supposed to ease before the weekend.

The extreme weather system has already produced unusual phenomena.

A twister was detected in the highlands of Donegal.

The funnel dropped 500m from the clouds and lasted for more than 15 minutes as it glided towards Fintown.

The twister was spotted by windfarm technician Jason McGibney on his way to work at about 9am.

Mr McGibney was travelling with his co-worker Brendan Blake to the Vestas windfarm in Glenties.

The twister touched the ground and caused some small damage but no property was affected.

“It was amazing to see it. It lasted for about 15 minutes and moved slowly across the ground.

“It touched the ground at one stage and caused a bit of damage but, thankfully, it wasn’t near any houses or anything could have happened,” he said.