Ireland is set to see a grim end to the current sunny weather on Friday as heavy showers move in from the west and spread across the country.
Met Eireann has forecast one final day of good weather on Thursday before strong gusts and scattered showers move in on Friday night and remain for much of the weekend.
A forecaster said: “Latest charts for Friday and weekend show a mixed bag with spells of heavy rain but also sunny spells. #EP22 looks pretty good Friday until very late, and Saturday and Sunday evenings looks good too. Most rain early Saturday and Sunday morning/afternoon. Risk of windy weekend too.”
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They added: “Latest charts showing rainfall totals up to midnight Sunday night with still uncertainty around where will see the heaviest rain and what times it will fall. Rain will push in from the West on Friday and move East but Eastern areas could hold mainly dry until Friday night.”
Meanwhile, it will stay dry this afternoon and evening with good sunny spells.
Highest temperatures of 17 to 22 degrees, warmest in the southwest, in light east to northeast breezes.
Tonight will be dry and largely clear, with some patches of mist or fog developing. Lowest temperatures of 8 to 12 degrees in light northeasterly or variable breezes.
Tomorrow will stay dry in most areas with good sunny spells. Just a few isolated showers in the morning and afternoon.
Highest temperatures of 17 to 21 degrees in light easterly or variable breezes.
Mostly dry with clear spells and patches of mist and fog overnight. Cloud will increase in the northwest, bringing rain to coastal areas by morning.
Lowest temperatures of 8 to 12 degrees with light, variable winds.
Outbreaks of rain will develop in the west and northwest on Friday morning and will spread over the western half of the country in the afternoon, becoming heavier.
In the east, there will be scattered showers. It will become drier in the southwest during the evening, with some sunny spells developing.
Highest temperatures will range between 15 degrees in the northwest and 21 degrees in the southeast, and there will be light to moderate, variable winds.
Cloudy in the north and east on Friday night with outbreaks of rain and lowest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees.
In the south and west, there will be clear spells and isolated showers, and it will be colder with minimum temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees.
Winds will be light and variable, and patches of mist and fog are possible in the south and west.
On Saturday morning, there will be patchy rain in Ulster and Leinster, but it will be drier with sunny spells elsewhere.
However, it will become wet across Connacht, Munster and Leinster during the afternoon and evening, with heavy rain in some areas.
There will be scattered showers in Ulster too. Highest temperatures of 14 to 20 degrees, warmest in Ulster and north Leinster, with light to moderate winds.
Rain will continue across Connacht and much of Munster and Leinster on Saturday night, heavy at times.
It will become breezier too, with moderate to fresh and gusty east to southeast winds developing.
Lowest temperatures of 9 degrees in the southwest to 15 degrees in the northeast.
The rain will gradually move northwards during Sunday morning and afternoon, followed by sunny spells and showers.
Highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees. Breezy in the morning with moderate to fresh and gusty east to southeast winds, easing later.
Low pressure near Ireland is expected to bring further spells of unsettled weather during next week.
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