The coming week looks set to bring a mix in terms of weather with dry spells and scattered showers forecast for many parts.
Starting with today (Monday September 2), Met Éireann has stated that it will be a rather cloudy and wet start this morning with some patchy mist and fog clearing away.
Outbreaks of rain and drizzle will gradually clear later this afternoon with some clear and bright spells following. It will feel a little cooler with highs of 15° to 18° and light winds.
Staying largely dry this evening with good clear spells and light winds. A touch more cloud will push into western coasts later tonight with the chance of an isolated shower and lowest temperatures of 7° to 11°.
Weather forecast for rest of week
It is expected to be mostly cloudy and largely dry tomorrow, Tuesday, but a few light showers will drift over in a light north-westerly breeze with highest temperatures of 15° to 19°.
It will be quite a cloudy night tomorrow night with scattered showers drifting down over the country. There will also be a light north-easterly breeze with lowest temperatures of 7° to 10°.
Wednesday will see a cloudy start with some lingering showers slowly clearing. Some bright or sunny spells will develop at times during the afternoon but a few more showers will push in over the south and west.
It will feel cooler too with highest temperatures of 14° to 18° and moderate northerly breezes, according to the national forecaster.
On Wednesday night, any showers will largely die out with long clear spells developing. A cool northerly breeze will persist with lowest temperatures of 8° to 11° and some mist or fog patches forming overnight.
On Thursday, there is expected to be a mix of cloudy periods and sunny spells with just a few isolated showers during the afternoon and a light northerly breeze and highs of 16° to 19°.
Latest indications are for a cloudy day on Friday, but a dry start for most. However, rain is likely to move in across southern counties later in the day. Light north-easterly winds and highest temperatures of 16° to 20°.
Weather for farming
Rain and showers at times or cloudier conditions will result in moderate or poor drying conditions at times over the coming week.
After today, currently the best opportunities look to be later on Tuesday and early on Wednesday though winds will be at most moderate.
Similarly, the best opportunities for spraying this week after today will be later Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Field conditions
Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) are generally between 15mm and 60mm in the east and south.
However, soils are saturated in parts of the west and north-west, with poorly drained soils in the north-west waterlogged.
With a mixture of spells of rain and some drier spells in the coming week, SMDs will remain broadly similar or with a slight increase.
Weather conditions conducive to the spread of potato blight have developed in southern and eastern parts until Monday evening.