We’re in for a wet and windy end to the month of February it has been reported this week as Met Éireann are predicting very unsettled weather over the coming days. “Heavy rain will clear the east coast early this afternoon, but showers and drizzle in the west will then spread eastwards during the afternoon and will only clear away to the east this evening." Precautions are being taken in Dublin as there is a fear of flooding and Dublin City Council have activated flood defences in the city as high tides are expected to hit later this afternoon. Car parks at Clontarf and Sandymount will be closed for the day. Meanwhile, Met Éireann have also issued an orange alert wind warning for Cork. They have forecast that winds will hit strengths of 65 to 80 kilometres per hour, with the possibility of wind gust of 130 kilometres per hour. “It will become extremely windy tonight as strong to gale force southwesterly winds develop,” the national forecaster stated. “There will be some severe, possibly damaging gusts in particular along western and northwestern coasts. “It will also become cold with widespread showers of rain, sleet, hail and snow especially in parts of the north and west with the risk of thunder.” There is also a snow and ice warning in place for Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo. It is expected that snowfall of up to three centimetres is possible.