This weekend is set to be rather cool with temperatures in the mid to low teens, while showers of rain will be interrupted by occasional dry periods, according to Met Eireann.

Today, Friday, will see some bright or short sunny spells in the morning, however, clouds are forecast to build by the afternoon.

Showers will become more widespread as the afternoon progresses, while some will turn heavy with a risk of thunder in places, the forecast says.

Temperatures are expected to reach between 12 to 14 degrees in light to southwest breezes.

Tonight, is set to be cold with widespread showers for much of the night. Some of this rain may turn heavy and prolonged as the night progresses.

However, these showers are forecast to become more scattered in the western half of the country later in the night.

Temperatures are expected to drop as low as three degrees, with a possibility of some fog at dawn where skies clear.

Saturday

Saturday will start off quite showery at first, but the showers should become confined to eastern coastal counties by early afternoon, with most of these dying out by evening, Met Eireann forecasts.

Meanwhile, some sunny spells will develop across the country, but temperatures will struggle to reach above 14 degrees in moderate northwest breezes.

Saturday night is expected to be cold and dry with slack breezes. Mist will form and thicken into fog in many places, becoming dense in some areas.

Sunday

Sunday morning is forecast to be another chilly start, with crisp autumn sunshine. Some fog and grass frost will affect some parts of the country.

Though the day should hold largely dry, southerly winds will gradually strengthen.

This wind is expected to increase cloud from the Atlantic and is likely to feed in some rain and drizzle to west and southwest coastal counties later in the day.

Top temperatures of between 14 to 15 degrees are expect, while early indications suggest that rain will become widespread overnight and into Monday.

Overall, drying conditions will be as about as good as expected for this time of year

There will be very few opportunities for spraying with wind and showers forecast, however Saturday and the start of Sunday might see some short spraying opportunities.

Meanwhile, field conditions are heavy underfoot and poorly-drained soils are likely to remain waterlogged.