This week will start largely cloudy with average temperatures and patchy rain or drizzle – but rain will become more widespread later in the week.
There will be a mix of cloud and bright spells this morning (Monday, August 16) with just a few light showers in the north and west. Cloud will soon increase however, with patchy light rain and drizzle pushing into the north and northwest through the afternoon and evening.
It will stay mostly dry elsewhere, with the best of the limited sunnier spells becoming confined to the south. Highest temperatures will be 15° to 18° in a moderate northwest breeze, fresh on western and northern coasts.
Tonight will be cloudy, with scattered outbreaks of light rain and drizzle over Ulster and north Connacht. It will hold mostly dry elsewhere. Temperatures won’t fall below 11° to 13°, in a moderate west to northwest breeze, strong on northwestern coasts.
It will continue to be rather cloudy and stay mostly dry tomorrow (Tuesday, August 17). However, there will be some patchy light rain and drizzle, mainly over the west and north but sinking a little further south and east at times too.
Highest temperatures will be 16° in the northwest to a mild 20° in the southeast, in a moderate northwest breeze.
Tomorrow night will be mostly cloudy with patchy light rain and drizzle, mainly affecting the north and west. It will be largely dry elsewhere. Lowest temperatures will be 11° to 13° in a mostly light westerly breeze.
Wednesday (August 18) will be another largely cloudy day with most areas staying dry. However, there will still be a little patchy light rain and drizzle. Highest temperatures will be 16° to 19°, mildest in the southeast, in a light westerly breeze.
A spell of more general rain may skirt along the south coast through Wednesday evening and Wednesday night.
Thursday (August 19) will see a lot of cloud but again it will be mainly dry, with just a few spots of drizzle, largely about coasts and hills. Some mild or warm sunshine will break through at times too. Highest temperatures should be 16° to 20°, in light winds.
A band of rain will move in from the southwest on Thursday night.
Friday (August 20) will likely be a wet day with outbreaks of rain sweeping northeastwards across the country. It will clear to showers later in the day. Highest temperatures will be 16° to 20°.
The weekend is set to remain unsettled, with outbreaks of rain in relatively mild temperatures.
In its latest farming commentary, issued yesterday (Sunday, August 15), Met Éireann said that drying conditions will be best today away from the northwest. The rest of the week will see limited conditions for drying, with the best luck in the south and east.
Spraying conditions will be largely limited in the short term due to moderate to fresh winds. Conditions may improve away from northern and western counties around midweek, but these may be hit and miss.
Due to recent rainfall, many soils across northern and western parts of the country are currently saturated. Elsewhere, soil moisture deficits range between 10mm and 40mm, with the driest conditions in south Leinster and east Munster.
Deficits will likely stay similar to current levels over the coming days.