The coming weekend will kick off with a blustery start with scattered showers in places, according to Met Éireann.
It will continue unsettled through the weekend with drier conditions developing early next week.
Starting with today, conditions will be blustery this morning with fresh and gusty west to southwest winds, strong near western and northern coasts, the national meteorological office says.
It will be cloudier in the north and northwest with scattered showers too, which will be heavy at times, but a good deal of dry weather is expected elsewhere with sunny spells and more isolated showers.
Winds will gradually moderate through the afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures will hit 17° to 21°, warmest in the southeast.
Turning to tonight, Met Éireann notes that southwesterly winds will ease light to moderate overnight. It will be largely dry to begin the night with scattered showers in the north and northwest but more isolated showers elsewhere.
However, cloud will push in from the southwest with rain arriving there towards dawn. Lowest temperatures of 9° to 12° are forecast.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, rain will continue to push in from the southwest through the morning and afternoon, with some heavy falls possible, especially in the southwest; however, this will ease and turn more showery through the evening, the forecaster says.
Much of Ulster will hold dry with some hazy sunny spells and well-scattered showers.
Highest temperatures will hit 15° to 19° in light to moderate southeasterly winds, though it will become fresher on southwestern coasts later.
Saturday night will be cloudy with showery rain in most areas overnight though there will be some dry intervals.
It will hold mostly dry over some northern areas too. Lowest temperatures will range from 9° in the north to 14° or 15° in the south.
Southeasterly winds will be mainly light to moderate but fresh along southern coasts, the meteorological office says.
Sunday
Showery rain is expected on Sunday, mainly affecting southern and eastern areas, but this will clear eastwards during the afternoon, Met Éireann notes.
Sunny spells and scattered showers elsewhere will extend to all areas as the rain clears. Highest temperatures of 17° to 21°.
Moderate northwesterly winds will develop, increasing fresh to strong on southwestern coasts.
Sunday night will see many areas become dry overnight though scattered showers will feed in a mostly moderate northwesterly airflow, primarily affecting Atlantic and northern coastal counties.
It will be largely dry elsewhere with clear spells with lowest temperatures of 9° to 12°.
Met Éireann: Farming and field conditions
Drying and spraying conditions will be limited due to rain and showers but the best opportunities in the short term will be over Leinster and Munster today away from showers.
In terms of soil conditions, due to recent rainfall, many soils across the northern half of the country are currently saturated.
Elsewhere, soil moisture deficits range between 10 and 50mm with the driest conditions in south Leinster and south Munster.
Over the coming week, soil moisture deficits will generally increase slightly with the exception on southwestern areas which could see heavy rainfall on Saturday.