Homes and businesses in counties along the River Shannon are bracing themselves for possible flooding today.
Farmland along the river, including around Athlone and Carrick-on-Shannon's already underwater but flood defences are working so far.
A status yellow rainfall warning for Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Clare and Tipperary will take effect from 8pm tonight until noon tomorrow.
"Locals are very concerned at the moment with the bad forecast we have," said Tom Cleary, a racehorse trainer near Athlone, which was badly affected by flooding in 2016.
"At the moment it's at a danger level and it will only take a couple more inches. There are some houses that will be badly affected with another couple of inches of water so they are very concerned."
Meanwhile, Mayo County Council spokesperson Noel Gibbons is warning motorists not to drive through flooded areas:
"We're pleading with motorists not to drive through flooded roads, particularly roads that have been closed, to check with their local media before they head to the road, local social media sites, the local authorities or AA Roadwatch just to check if there's any roads closed and if so to look at an alternative route."
