A windy, unsettled weekend is in store for the coming days, kicking off with a wind warning in force for the west of the country from this evening (Friday, November 2), according to Met Eireann.
It will be cold and frosty this morning with localised patches of mist and fog and some ice on untreated surfaces, the national meteorological office has said.
There will be spells of sunshine through the morning but cloud will steadily thicken from the west during the day.
Outbreaks of rain will move in from the Atlantic to affect Connacht, Ulster and Munster late this morning and early afternoon, but it is expected to stay largely dry further east until evening time.
It will become breezy as southerly winds gradually strengthen increasing fresh to strong and gusty on Atlantic coasts. Afternoon temperatures are expected to range from 6° to 11°.
A Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for six counties in the west of the country, due to kick in from 3:00pm this afternoon through to 12:00pm tomorrow.
A windy night is in store for the country in general, with outbreaks of rain, persistent and heavy at times near southern and western coasts.
There will be hill and coastal mist also. Minimum temperatures of 8° to 11° are expected early in the night. South to south-east winds will be fresh to strong and gusty with gales along coasts.
Drying conditions will be poor generally, occasionally moderate, with spraying conditions also expected to be poor from today with wet and windy conditions forecast.
Regarding field conditions, most soils are trafficable at the moment due to the less-than-normal rainfall.
By the end of this weekend most well-drained soils are expected to be saturated and moderately or poorly drained soils saturated or waterlogged, however some soils along the east coast may be trafficable.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow will be a wet, blustery day with outbreaks of rain spreading gradually eastwards across the country, according to Met Eireann.
The rain will clear from Atlantic coastal areas in the late morning with bright spells and blustery heavy showers following.
Fresh to strong and gusty southerly winds will veer southwesterly and moderate through the course of the afternoon and evening. Top temperatures will peak at 12° to 14°.
Minimum temperatures will drop to 5° to 8° degrees in fresh south or south-west winds.
Outlook
It looks set to be dry for much of the day on Sunday apart from a few showers in the north and west with some hazy sunshine, Met Eireann reports.
However, cloud will build from the south later in the day and rain will move in across the south and east of the country during the evening.
Top temperatures of 10° to 13° are expected in light or moderate southerly breezes. Rain will extend to the bulk of the country overnight.
Current indications suggest Monday will begin cloudy and damp with patchy rain. The rain will ease in most areas during the afternoon but with the continued chance of some showery bursts.