With activity on farms starting to really take off this week, the upcoming weekend’s weather is not forecast to make lives easy for busy farmers.

According to Met Eireann, the weather is going to be mixed for the weekend. It is expected that weather systems will be coming in from the Atlantic. Bringing outbreaks of rain, heavy at times throughout the weekend.

Forecasters say Sunday will be a particularly poor day with windy weather expected in the second half of the day.

Coming back to today Met Eireann says it will be a cloudy and misty day, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, persistent and locally heavy at times.

Forecasters say a clearance is expected from the west in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to range from eight to 11 degrees in southwesterly winds.

Met Eireann says for a time tonight it will be cool and clear. However it says a band of heavy rain rain and hail showers will move into western and northwestern areas later in the night. Temperatures tonight will range from three to six degrees.

Saturday will be cold and windy, according to Met Eireann. Its says in eastern areas it will start off dry, but showers will soon become widespread. Forecasters say there will be some thundery downpours and there may well be a few wintry ones, in the northwest during the afternoon. Top temperatures of four to seven degrees.

It will start off very wet on Sunday morning with heavy rain over all parts of the country, according to latest forecasts. Met Eireann also says it will be very windy with strong southeasterly winds.

Respite from the rain is expected in the afternoon however temperatures will drop to six or seven degrees. There will be further heavy showers during Sunday night, but frost will be confined to more sheltered places.

In light of the current bad weather and the wintry conditions expected over the coming days, Teagasc sheep advisor James Doran has told AgriLand that flockowners with freshly lambed ewes should keep stock in, if at all possible.

He added: “Better to keep the ewes and lambs in small groups, to prevent mis-mothering.

“Sheep farmers are very aware of the large losses they incurred last year, as a result of the very cold weather. If ewes and lambs have to be put out, producers should select the most sheltered field on the farm. Supplementary feed should also be made available, if grass is in short supply.”