Met Éireann, Ireland's national meteorological service, warned that weather conditions conducive to the spread of potato blight would affect many coastal regions, mainly in the west and south, as well as parts of the midlands. Potato blight is a plant disease caused by a fungal-like organism called Phytophthora infestans. The pathogen spreads rapidly in humid weather through the foliage of potatoes and tomatoes, causing the foliage to decay and infecting potato and tomato crops. Cloudy conditions with further outbreaks of rain and drizzle were forecast to continue overnight, with much of Leinster expected to remain largely dry. The outlook also included scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle across much of the country, with some heavy and possibly thundery downpours developing later.