Risk of hail and isolated thunderstorms today

Weather Update

Starting off mostly dry this morning with a mix of cloud and sunshine and some well scattered showers. However, heavy and slow-moving showers will become more widespread along northern and eastern counties this morning, with the showers gradually transferring westwards through the day. There's a risk of hail and isolated thunderstorms. However, there'll be plenty of dry, bright and sunny interludes across the country too, with just isolated showers for much of the day in some western counties and becoming dry along eastern coastal counties too in the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees, in light to moderate northerly or variable breezes.

The showers will die away early tonight to leave the rest of the night dry with a mix of cloud and clear spells. There'll just be a few isolated showers around. Cold; with lowest temperatures of -1 to +4 degrees, with a touch of frost in places and some mist and isolated fog patches too as winds will be mostly light and variable.

Tomorrow (Friday) will start off dry with plenty of sunshine. Once again, showers will develop in the east during the morning and track westwards. The showers look likely to be most widespread across the southern half of the country, and some will be heavy with a slight risk of hail and thunder. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees in light to moderate northeast or variable breezes.

The summary for the next few days is for cool conditions with a mix of sunshine and daytime showers to begin. Cold by night with some late season patchy frosts. Turning broadly more unsettled from Sunday night and for next week. Indeed an area of low pressure looks set to move in across the country on Sunday night into Bank Holiday Monday, bringing some wet and windy weather for a time.

There'll be some lingering showers to begin on Friday night, but these will soon die away and the rest of the night will be dry with clear spells. Winds will be mostly light and variable with some mist and fog patches forming, mainly over Munster and south Leinster. Another cold night; with lowest temperatures of -1 to +3 degrees, with a touch of frost in places.

The mist and fog will clear early on Saturday morning and it will be mainly dry to begin with sunshine. Once again cloud will increase with scattered showers developing, though they won't be quite as heavy or as widespread as the previous couple of days. Indeed it looks like parts of the west and northwest will be mainly dry with sunshine, with more in the way of showers in Leinster, Munster and East Ulster. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees in light to moderate northerly or variable breezes.

On Saturday night, once again, the showers will die away early in the night to leave a mainly dry night with clear spells, although some cloud and a few showers will push into western and northwestern areas again later. Lowest temperatures of 0 to +4 degrees with a patchy frost in places.

Sunday will bring a mix of cloud and sunshine, though with cloud generally increasing through the day. There'll be a scattering of showers, with the showers most widespread in parts of the north and northwest, where they'll be heavy at times, while there'll be less showers than previous days in the south and east. Highest temperatures again of 9 to 12 degrees in light to moderate variable or westerly winds.

Sunday night will be dry in all areas to begin and it will be rather cold at first especially in eastern parts. However, it will turn less cold overnight as cloud continues to increase from the west. Winds will become southeasterly and they'll increase fresh to strong in parts of the west and southwest, with rain pushing from the west too, becoming heavy at times, though it will hold mainly dry in some northern and eastern counties. Lowest temperature early in the night of 1 to 7 degrees, coldest in the east.

Bank Holiday Monday will be a wet and windy day; with an area of low pressure tracking in over the country. Persistent and at times heavy rain will become widespread through the morning and early afternoon, with some bright or sunny spells following, but with showers or further longer spells of rain. There's a risk of some thundery bursts. Highest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty southeast winds, with gales in some coastal parts, becoming slack and variable for a time in some parts as the areas of low pressure tracks eastwards over the country. Winds will veer around to a northwest direction later, fresh to strong and gusty.

Monday night: Continuing rather windy with further spells of rain or showers, but becoming mostly dry later in the night, with the winds starting to ease later too. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees with the fresh to strong and gusty northwest winds, decreasing mostly moderate to fresh later in the night.

Tuesday will be a much drier day with some sunshine and a scattering of showers with northwest winds containing to ease through the morning. Highest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees.

Further Outlook: Continuing unsettled with rain or showers at times. Some drier interludes too with sunshine. Temperatures will probably recover a little by day, but some cold nights are still likely.