Northern Ireland weather warning in force for heavy rain and thunderstorms

The Met Office yellow alert, which came into force at 6am, covers counties Antrim, Armagh and Down.

It will stay in place until 6pm.

Forecasters say it will be cloudy in the east with heavy rain and a risk of thunderstorms. They said the rain will be most persistent in the morning.

In the west, there will be a dry and bright start to the day with showers soon breaking out, which may be heavy with a risk of thunderstorms. The maximum temperature will be 17 °C.

The forecast for later today says it will be cloudy with lingering showers on Saturday evening, some of which will be heavy,

The rain will clear to the north and clear spells will develop. It will remain dry overnight with clear spells before clouding over from the west after dawn.

Motorists are warned that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.