Temperatures to soar for the weekend ahead

Mist and fog will clear tomorrow morning to leave a warm day with plenty of sunshine and a lovely couple of days to come too. Met Eireann is forcasting Thursday to be very warm with highest temperatures generally of 22 to 27 degrees, a little fresher at the coast.

The national forecaster is also prediciting a bright warm day for the thousands of fans travelling to Croke Park for Sunday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final showdown with Donegal with highest temperatures of 22 to 28 degrees and moderate south to southeast winds.

Thursday night: Continuing dry overnight with clear spells, along with fog developing for southern areas. Mild with temperatures not falling below 11 to 14 degrees with light southerly breezes.

Friday: After a foggy start for southern areas, widespread sunshine will likely develop. Becoming hot in sunshine with highest temperatures of 22 to 27 or 28 degrees with light southerly breezes.

Saturday will be another very warm or hot day with the best of the sunshine over the eastern half of the country and with more cloud further west. Highest temperatures of 23 to 27 or 28 degrees with light to moderate southeasterly winds.

Sunday will start off dry with good sunshine in the east and north. Cloud and showery rain will move in over Munster and Connacht during the afternoon and will gradually extend northeastwards through the evening and night. It will be another warm or hot day with highest temperatures of 22 to 28 degrees and moderate south to southeast winds.

Current indications suggest tat the early days of next week will be cooler and more unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain at times and with temperatures in the high teens to low twenties.