Ireland will be split between a heatwave and an Arctic snap today as half the country is set to briefly bask in glorious weather.
Highest temperatures are expected to reach up to 24C in the south and southeast, making Friday the hottest day of the year so far.
However, as the north and west of the country experience cold air from the Arctic it will be much cooler in those parts of Ireland with highest temperatures of between 15C to 19C and persistent rain.
Met Eireann weather forecaster Joanna Donnelly explained this phenomenon on RTE's Claire Byrne earlier this week saying that Ireland is caught between the extreme heat moving up from Africa through Spain and Portugal and extremely cold Arctic air.
She said: "We are on the border between very cold air coming down from the northwest from the Arctic and this heat coming up from the south.
"The two of those are extremes, so extreme heat and quite cold weather. Ireland is in prime position in the north of the Atlantic and is right on the border for those two."
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Meanwhile, over the weekend temperatures across the country will drop to between 13C to 16C on Saturday with cloudy conditions in the southeast and sunshine developing elsewhere, along with some isolated showers in the northwest.
Sunday will see some showers in the morning but will clear to be mostly dry and sunny with temperatures of 14C to 18C.
Here is Met Eireann's forecast for the next few days:
Friday
Dry and sunny to start across south Leinster and south Munster this morning. Cloudier and cooler elsewhere with persistent rain over the north and west sinking southeastwards through the day. Highest temperatures of 15 to 19 degrees generally, and reaching 20 to 24 degrees in the south and southeast in the early part of the day. Westerly winds will be mostly moderate.
Becoming mostly dry tonight with clear spells developing for most, it will stay rather cloudy and damp in the south. Lowest temperatures of 9 or 10 degrees in a light northwesterly wind.
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Saturday
Tomorrow, Saturday, cloudy conditions will persist through much of the day in the southeast with sunshine developing elsewhere, along with isolated showers mostly in the northwest. Highest temperatures of 13 to 16 degrees in a moderate north to northwest wind.
Scattered showers in the west and north on Saturday night with a mix of cloud and clear spells elsewhere. Lowest temperatures of 7 to 9 degrees in a mostly moderate northerly wind.
Sunday
Sunny spells and isolated showers on Sunday morning will give way to a mostly dry and sunny afternoon with highest temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees in moderate northerly winds. Turning chilly on Sunday night under clear skies with temperatures down to 6 to 9 degrees.
Monday
Monday will be mainly dry with light northerly winds becoming variable in direction and good spells of sunshine. Temperatures will start to recover and are expected to reach 21 degrees in the afternoon widely across the country, although still a little cooler in west Ulster and north Connacht.
Tuesday
A spell of rain on Monday night will give a dull and damp start to Tuesday with showers in the afternoon, becoming isolated in the evening. Temperatures on Tuesday will range between 15 degrees in the northwest and 19 degrees in the southeast and winds will be westerly.
