Bright start but rain on horizon

Saturday will start off dry across Ulster. Rain will develop in the west this afternoon and will spread eastwards to all areas. It will gradually clear to the east through the evening with a few showers following. South to southeast winds will increase fresh and gusty, becoming strong on coasts. Highest temperatures of 13 to 15 degrees.

TONIGHT

Tonight showers will affect the northwest of the region. It will be mainly dry elsewhere. Lowest temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees with mostly moderate southerly winds, fresh along coasts.

Sunday will start off mainly dry. Persistent rain will spread northwards to all areas through the late morning and afternoon. It will be heavy at times with localised flooding possible. The rain will clear to the northeast through the evening and early night. Highest temperatures of 16 or 17 degrees with southerly winds increasing fresh and gusty. They'll become southwesterly as the rain clears.

Unsettled with heavy rain and strong winds at times.

On Sunday night rain will clear to the east and showers will follow, mainly over the western half of the country. Lowest temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees with fresh, gusty south to southwest winds.

Monday will be bright and breezy with sunny spells and passing blustery showers, heaviest and most frequent closer to the Atlantic. There'll be a good deal of dry weather in the east. Highest temperatures of 16 to 19 degrees with fresh and gusty south to southwest winds. On Monday night, persistent rain will develop in the west and spread eastwards overnight, heavy at times. Lowest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees with moderate to fresh southerly winds.

On Tuesday, rain will clear eastwards through the morning with sunshine and showers following for the rest of the day. Highest temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees with mostly moderate to fresh southwest winds.

While details are still uncertain, current indications suggest that Wednesday could be a very windy or possibly stormy day with heavy rain and very strong winds in all areas for a time.

The rest of next week looks like continuing unsettled with further spells of rain, showers and possibly strong winds at times.