A Status Orange warning for rain is in place for four counties in Leinster, with Met Éireann warning of widespread surface flooding and “hazardous” travel conditions.
The warning for counties Dublin, Wicklow, Louth and Meath was in place until 2pm.
Met Éireann recorded 60mm of rain in Dundalk, Co Louth, during the weather warnings, which is well above the July average for eastern counties.
Meteorologist Brandon Craig said around 50mm of rainfall was recorded in other parts of the east, including in Dublin and Meath.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Philip Boucher Hayes, Mr Craig said that that amount of rainfall was “rare” at this time of year.
“Typical values wouldn’t be anywhere near that amount,” he said.
Mr Craig added: “It was just because we had a low-pressure system that tracked to the south of us towards the UK and extended a front that just lay over the eastern half of the country for much of yesterday, into yesterday night and this morning as well.”
Met Éireann said the rain will get lighter as the week proceeds, with better weather building from the Azores.
However, it will “not completely [be] wall-to-wall sunshine or anything like we had with the high pressure that brought good weather from Europe a few weekends ago,” Mr Craig said.
“It’ll still be fairly cloudy with some light falls of rain at times but much less rainfall expected than we had over the last few days,” he added.
Dublin City Council said that so far between 31mm and 63mm of rain has been recorded in the city, with another 10mm to 15mm forecast by this afternoon.
It said the Camac was the only river to record Orange level flows, and that flood gates were closed from Ballsbridge to Landsdowne Road Bridge where the high tide at 9.03am passed without incident.
An emergency pump was deployed at Leix Road in Cabra and gully crews and emergency crews have been working and monitoring the situation since 4am.
The council said there was a lot of spot flooding, but no buildings were significantly at threat.
Meanwhile, Children’s Health Ireland confirmed that flooding occurred at CHI Temple Street overnight, but there was no major impact on patient care and contingency plans are in place.
A spokesperson said the situation continues to be assessed and CHI will contact families should any appointments or care be affected, which is currently not the case.
Persistent and heavy rain is set to continue, with a chance of thunderstorms, leading to “very difficult and hazardous” travel conditions and “very poor” visibility in many areas.
A Status Yellow warning for rain is also in place until 2pm for counties Kildare and Monaghan, where Met Éireann has said localised flooding is possible.
Flooding has been reported on the rail line at Broombridge, leading to some delays on the Maynooth rail services.
Flash flooding in Limerick
Motorists in Limerick are being advised to drive with caution in Dromcollogher, Co Limerick, following flash flooding in the village yesterday evening.
The flash flooding occurred during a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for Cork yesterday evening.
The local authority said it responded to a flash flooding incident associated with “intense rainfall” in the area, after receiving calls to the council’s out of hours number.
Sandbags were distributed to protect local properties at risk, and local farmers provided additional support by supplying water pumps.
A coordinated pumping operation was established to lower water levels in the vicinity of the Dromcollogher Respite Centre.
Three crews from Limerick Fire and Rescue Service, based at Newcastle West, Abbeyfeale, and Rathkeale, were deployed to the area, while Limerick Civil Defence also assisted.
Fire crews were stood down from 2am after water levels receded.
“As of this morning, all roads in the area are open. However, motorists are advised to proceed with caution.
“A clean-up operation is currently underway,” a council spokesperson said.
RSA warns motorists to drive with caution
The Road Safety Authority is advising motorists to drive with care, saying that the Status Orange rainfall warning “may cause widespread surface flooding, difficult travelling conditions, very poor visibility and lightning damage”.
“Drivers need to slow down and allow a greater braking distance between themselves and the vehicle in front in wet weather conditions.
“This is especially important on high-speed roads such as dual carriageways and motorways where there is increased danger of aquaplaning.
“Take special care when driving behind goods vehicles as they generate a considerable amount of spray which reduces your visibility, hold back to where you can see their mirrors,” said the RSA.
Dublin Bus has reported that all of its services are operating as normal this morning, but has advised passengers to check its websites and social media channels for any updates throughout the day.
There was no impact due to the weather on operations at Dublin Airport, a spokesperson said.
An Amber rain warning for counties Antrim, Armagh and Down has expired while a Yellow warning for rain remains in place until 2pm.
The PSNI has advised road users that the Marble Arch Road, Florencecourt and Sligo Road in Enniskillen, are all impassable due to floods.
Flooding was also reported to have been affecting other parts of west Fermanagh.
