Butterfly enjoying the sunshine and heather in Cross. Photo Breedge Kelly

Cold, bright day with sunny spells and scattered showers

Weather update from Met Éireann

While it will be a little milder, it will become wet and quite windy at times over the coming days. That's according to the latest bulletin from the national weather forecaster.

Today will be a cool but brighter day with sunny spells and scattered showers. Moderate northwest winds will be blustery at times in the vicinity of showers, so it will feel quite chilly for the time of year with highest temperatures of just 11 to 14 degrees generally. The showers will become more isolated through the late afternoon and mostly die out away from western coasts by evening.

Tonight will be mostly dry with long clear spells and just the chance of a few isolated showers along western Atlantic coasts. It will be quite cool overnight with lowest temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees generally or even lower locally. Some air frost can't be ruled out, while some patches of mist and fog are possible also as winds fall light and variable.

Thursday will be a dry and fairly sunny day in most areas although the chance of isolated showers will continue through the morning in the west. Highest afternoon temperatures of 14 to 16 degrees as moderate northerly winds gradually fall light and variable.

After a dry settled start to the night on Thursday, persistent and occasionally heavy rain will extend from the northwest as southerly winds freshen. Lowest temperatures of 6 to 11 degrees.

It will be a wet and windy start to the day on Friday with persistent and occasionally heavy rain across the country while south to southwest winds will continue fresh to strong and gusty at times, with gales on Atlantic coast. Clearer conditions with scattered showers will follow from the northwest during the afternoon as west to northwest winds ease slightly. Highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees.

Scattered showers will continue overnight on Friday, most frequent along Atlantic coasts, with the best of the dry periods and clear spells in the east. Lowest temperatures of 8 to 12 degrees in mostly moderate southwest to west winds.

Sunny spells and fairly widespread showers on Saturday morning, some turning heavy and thundery at times. Showers will tend to retreat to near western coasts for the afternoon with more prolonged sunny spells developing elsewhere. Highest temperatures of 13 to 16 degrees feeling cooler though as moderate westerly breezes increase fresh and blustery through the afternoon.

Showers will continue to affect mostly western areas overnight on Saturday, although they will be lighter in general. The best of the clear spells will be in the east. As moderate westerly winds persist lowest temperatures will hold between 8 and 11 degrees generally.

Sunday morning will bring some sunny spells but they will give way to cloud bubbling up through the day with some light showers about, better sunny spells will develop later in the afternoon as moderate westerly winds ease. Highest temperatures of 13 to 16 degrees.

FURTHER OUTLOOK: Milder but remaining unsettled through the early days of next week although there is a chance more settled conditions will develop later in the week.