The third and final day of the 2023 National Ploughing Championships is underway today (September 21) in Ratheniska, Co. Laois, where the weather is expected to be dry and sunny.
This morning, Met Éireann issued weather updates that reported it will be largely dry this morning with good sunny spells developing.
It will be a cooler day today with highs of 13° to 16° in a light west to northwest breeze.
While there were no weather warnings from the national forecaster this morning, Met Éireann did report there would be isolated showers expected along the Atlantic coastal counties.
While cloud will gradually build from the northwest later, this organised band of rain is expected to move over Ulster and gradually move south this afternoon.
In Leinster, for those attending the Ploughing, it will be largely dry and rather sunny this morning but the cloud building from the northwest later will turn the sunshine a little hazy heading into the afternoon.
Tonight, rain will remain persistent over northern counties with elsewhere a mix of cloudy periods and isolated showers.
The best of any clear spells tonight are to be found in the south, with a rather cool northerly breeze to keep lowest temperatures to around 7° to 10° overnight tonight.
Tomorrow (Friday, September 22) it is expected to be cloudy with scattered showers in the morning but they will gradually die out as good sunny spells develop by midday.
It will stay generally dry through tomorrow afternoon, with just the slight chance of a passing shower. Northerly winds will ease too with highs of 12° to 15°.
As the Ploughing site will be clearing over the next few days, visitors to the three-day event were fully aware of the conditions on the ground.
Therefore, it will come as no surprise that Met Éireann has said drying conditions will be limited due to spells of rain or showers.
The best opportunity looks to be Friday afternoon as when showers become more isolated, those winds will ease.
All well-drained soils are currently close to or are at saturation. Most moderately drained soils are either saturated or waterlogged, while all poorly drained soils are waterlogged with the exception of the far west and north west.
The coming days will see some recovery in the soil moisture deficits but a further deterioration is then expected from this weekend.