Met Éireann has issued fresh yellow rain warnings for seven counties in the south and east, with separate warnings also in place across Northern Ireland, as unsettled weather continues following Storm Chandra.

The affected counties are Waterford, Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Louth, Wexford, and Wicklow. The warning will take effect from 9 am on Friday and remain in place until midnight on Saturday.

Forecasters are warning of further flooding, hazardous travelling conditions, and rising river levels, particularly in areas where the ground remains saturated from recent heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a yellow rain warning for Northern Ireland from midnight on Friday until 6 pm.

The alerts come as clean-up operations continue across parts of the country following Storm Chandra, which left up to 20,000 homes and businesses without power at its peak. Flooding in several areas has sparked criticism of the timing and adequacy of previous weather warnings, with calls for improved forecasting and emergency responses.

Further heavy rainfall is expected to worsen conditions on Thursday, particularly in flood-prone areas such as Enniscorthy, Aughrim, and parts of south Dublin.

Minister of State at the Office of Public Works, Kevin “Boxer” Moran, is visiting several of the worst-affected communities as damage assessments continue. His visits come amid growing frustration over delays to flood relief projects nationwide.

In response to recent extreme weather events, trade union Unite has called for new workplace protections, including four days of paid leave where employees are unable to travel safely to work or need to deal with flooding at home. The union is also seeking legal requirements for employers to suspend non-essential outdoor work during amber and orange weather alerts, and all non-essential work during red alerts.

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