Trick or treat? Yellow warning for Halloween thunderstorms and heavy rain for six counties

Spooky season: There will be some heavier thundery falls at times on Friday night. 

As ghosts and ghouls prepare to go trick-or-treating this Halloween, they should pack a jacket, as Met Éireann forecasts rain and suitably stormy conditions.

A status yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued for six counties this evening, with heavy rain and possible spot flooding expected.

The alert — covering Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, and Wicklow — is valid from 7pm to 10pm on Friday, according to Met Éireann, which warns of thundery downpours and hazardous travel conditions.

A wet start on Friday will see rain spreading northeast across the country before clearing by early afternoon.

Sunny spells and scattered showers will follow, with temperatures reaching highs of 14C. However, cloud and more persistent rain will build from the south through the evening.

Met Éireann says there will be occasional heavier, thundery bursts. The rain will move northeastwards, becoming mostly confined to Ulster by early morning.

"As the rain clears, it will be followed by a mix of clear spells and scattered showers feeding in from the Atlantic," says the forecaster.

Meanwhile, Saturday will begin "bright and mostly dry", with showers mainly along Atlantic coasts.

"The showers will become more frequent in the afternoon and spread further east. They will be heavy at times with a chance of hail," Met Éireann said.

Temperatures will reach highs of 12C, falling to lows of 7C by Saturday night.

The night will be mostly dry and clear, with showers confined to Atlantic coastal counties.

Sunday will start mostly dry, though cloud will push into the southwest during the morning, gradually extending northeastwards by late afternoon.

"This will be accompanied by outbreaks of rain and drizzle, remaining driest in parts of the east and southeast."

Sunday night will turn wet and windy, with widespread rain heaviest over the western half of the country. It will be mild, however, with temperatures ranging from 12C to 14C overnight.