The warm, sunny weather that drew out the largest ever crowd to the 2019 National Ploughing Championships is set to come to an end over the weekend, according to Met Éireann.
Today, Friday, September 20, is to continue in the same vein as the last few days, with early fog clearing into fine and dry conditions with variable cloud and long sunny spells.
It will remain warm today, with highest temperatures of 17° to 21°, with the best values in the north-west. It will be fresher near south and east coasts due to a developing south-east breeze.
Tomorrow, Saturday, September 21, will begin dry in most areas, with good sunny spells over the north and east for a time.
However, showery rain in the south-west will spread gradually to the east in the afternoon and evening. The rain will turn heavy over parts of Munster and Connacht late in the day, though some eastern counties may stay dry.
South-east winds will freshen further, though it will still be relatively warm, with temperatures of 18° to 21°.
Sunday, September 22, will be cloudier, cooler and windy, with more showery outbreaks. Some heavy downpours are possible locally, though these will clear and south-west winds will ease in the evening.
Monday, September 23, will begin bright and dry, but rain and winds will arrive in the west before midday, which will quickly spread around the country. Southerly winds will turn strong to gale force. These will moderate during Monday night, while rains will also ease.
More rain is expected for Tuesday, September 24, with strong winds and falling temperatures as well. This is expected to continue into Wednesday, September 25, and for the rest of the week, according to current forecasts.
Drying conditions are set to deteriorate from Saturday on, as are spraying conditions. In terms of field conditions, there will be some restriction to growth in parts of Leinster and Munster, with soil moisture deficits of 20mm to 40mm.