Tornado alert as heavy rain drenches Midlands

The blissful sunny weather that turned Athlone into Costa Del Shannon for much of July is now just a memory amid heavy rain and a warning that a tornado might hit Ireland.

The tornado warning was issued by the European Storm Forecast Experiment, ESTOFEX.

Their warning - issued yesterday and active to Friday - indicates that there's between a 5% and 15% chance of a tornado occurring in Ireland.

ESTOFEX said the arrival of a cold front and jet streams in the atmosphere could create conditions for a rapid thunderstorms which may include severe wind gusts and flash floods.

Meanwhile, Met Eireann has warned of very heavy rainfall across most of the country, including Leinster and Connacht, today (Thursday).

There will be widespread heavy rain during the day, with accumulations of 30 to 50mm generally, and with parts of Munster and Connacht receiving 50 to 70mm.

'On saturated ground, this may lead to flooding,' warned the national meterological service.

Interestingly, the first recorded tornado in Europe occurred in 1054 at Rostella, Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath.