Cloudy start with showers but some sunny intervals
Weather Update
Mostly cloudy to begin today with scattered showers, but some bright or sunny intervals will develop as the day goes on.
The latest weather forecast from Met Eireann is predicting highest temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees in moderate to fresh and gusty southwest winds, increasing strong at times near the west coast.
Showers will continue early tonight. A more persistent spell of rain will spread from the west later in the night. Colder, clearer conditions with scattered heavy showers of rain, hail and sleet will follow towards dawn. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees, coldest in the west, with moderate to fresh and gusty south to southwest winds, becoming southwest to west as the rain clears.
Tomorrow (Friday) will be a cold and windy day with blustery showers becoming widespread in the afternoon. Some of the showers will be heavy with hail and sleet, and a risk of isolated thunderstorms. Feeling noticeably colder with highest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees, with added wind chill in fresh to strong and gusty southwest to west winds, reaching gale at times in the afternoon in the western coastal fringes.
Widespread showers will continue for a time early on Friday night, some of them wintry, with hail, sleet and snow, and an ongoing risk of isolated thunderstorms. The showers will gradually become confined Atlantic coastal counties overnight. Westerly winds will be fresh to strong and gusty at first but they will ease down through the night. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 3 degrees, with a risk of frost in sheltered spots.
Saturday will start out mostly dry, with sunny spells in the east and north. Outbreaks of rain and drizzle developing in western coastal counties during the morning, however, will spread elsewhere through the afternoon and evening. The rain will turn persistent and heavy in parts of the west towards evening, accompanied by increasingly strong and gusty south to southwest winds. Highest temperatures of 8 to 10 degrees.
Wet and very windy for a time on Saturday night, with gales near coasts. Rain will give way to showers from the west overnight and winds will become southwesterly and moderate somewhat. Lowest temperatures overnight will range 4 to 7 degrees, coldest over Ulster and north Connacht.
Sunday will be a breezy day with some bright or sunny spells early on, but becoming mostly cloudy with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Highest temperatures will range 10 to 12 degrees, with moderate to fresh and gusty southwest winds, strong near west and northwest coasts. Cloudy with outbreaks of rain on Sunday night, heaviest in the west and northwest. Moderate to fresh and gusty southerly winds, strong to near gale on coasts will veer southwest overnight. Lowest overnight temperatures are expected to be between 7 and 10 degrees Celsius.
Monday is promised mostly cloudy and mild with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, heaviest and most persistent in the north and northwest. Winds will be mostly moderate to fresh southwesterly, strong to near gale on coasts, but light cyclonic variable breezes will affect parts of Ulster and north Connacht. Highest temperatures will range 12 to 16 degrees.
Current indications suggest a transition towards cooler and drier conditions will take place by around mid-week next week.