Met Éireann has said that it will be mainly dry for the coming days, but more unsettled conditions are expected by the weekend.

Today (Tuesday, March 18) will be mostly dry with some isolated showers in the southwest, good sunny spells developing too.

Highest afternoon temperatures of 7° to 10°C with moderate to fresh east to southeast winds which will ease later in the day.

Tonight will be dry, cold and mostly clear in light easterly breezes. Lowest overnight temperatures of -1° to 4°, feeling coldest in Ulster. Some frost is expected, along with patches of mist and fog.

It will be dry and mostly sunny on Wednesday with highest temperatures 11° to 15°, in mostly light easterly breezes.

Wednesday night will be dry, with cloud building towards the morning. Lowest overnight temperatures of 1° to 6°, feeling coldest in the north. Mist and fog patches will form in light easterly breezes.

Thursday will be a similar day with mostly dry conditions and sunny spells. Afternoon temperatures will range from 13° to 16° in light to moderate southeast breezes.

On Thursday night it will be dry with clear spells, becoming cloudier from the south later. Lowest temperatures of 7° to 10° in moderate easterly winds.

Met Éireann said that conditions are due to turn more unsettled from Friday with showers in the south becoming widespread later in the day. Highest temperatures of 13° to 15° with moderate to fresh southeasterly winds.

Further scattered showers are expected on Saturday in light to moderate southeast or variable breezes and top temperatures of 13° or 14°.

The current outlook forecasts showers or longer spells of rain on Sunday and Monday.

Met Éireann said that due to the influence of high pressure over Ireland, rainfall amounts will be low until Friday when there will be a gradual transition to more unsettled weather.

As a result, rainfall amounts will increase closer to average for the time of year, particularly in southern areas but should remain below normal in parts of the north.

Mean air temperatures are set to become up to 2° above average across the country as it becomes milder. Soil temperatures will remain above normal.

Drying conditions will initially be moderate this week as temperatures will be on the cool side and winds will be light to moderate.

As temperatures increase from midweek there will be better drying conditions.

Met Éireann said there will be good opportunities for spraying over the coming days as high pressure dominates.

With dry weather for most of the week, soil moisture deficits are likely to increase, however there will be some deterioration on Friday and over the weekend as the weather becomes a little more unsettled.

Some poorly drained soils will become saturated and locally waterlogged in parts of the west and southwest.