The weekend weather forecast looks to see temperatures drop with many areas seeing a dry spell, albeit showers in some western parts.

Met Éireann is forecasting a cold windy day today (Friday, November 26) with temperatures of 6°-9°C.

There will be widespread showers, heavy at times, and falling as sleet and snow over hills and mountains, particularly in the north.

Northwest to north winds will be fresh to strong and gusty and will reach gale force on coasts.

Wind on Friday night

Temperatures tonight will fall to between 0° and 2° and the strong winds will continue, according to the national forecaster.

There will be strong gales on the Irish Sea with fresh to strong northwest to north winds inland.

Showers will become mainly isolated to coastal regions for a time with long clear spells elsewhere, later on the showers becoming more widespread through the west and north, and some will fall as sleet and with snow over hills and mountains.

Weekend weather forecast

The strong winds and cold weather are expected to continue through Saturday (November 27), with temperatures during the day ranging between 3° and 6° .

There will be further showers, again some of sleet, mainly around coastal areas and a little more widely through the north and west, with longer sunny spells in Munster and Leinster.

The winds will begin to ease later in the day on Saturday.

Winds will become mainly light westerly during Saturday night with lowest temperatures of between -2° and +2° occurring early in the night.

It will be dry at first on Saturday night with clear weather. Cloudier conditions will develop in the west, with rain along western coasts early in the night, slowly spreading through Munster and Connacht.

The east will stay dry and cold with temperatures rising in the west.

The east of the country will stay cold on Sunday, with higher temperatures returning to western parts.

It will be cloudy and dull, with patchy rain for a time, then it will brighten up with sunny spells, the best in the east. Winds will be light southerly or variable in the east and will freshen over Munster and Connacht from a northwesterly direction.

Temperatures on Sunday will be between 9° and 11° in Munster and Connacht and between 3° and 5° in Leinster and Ulster.

Sunday night will be cold with temperatures near to, or below, freezing in the east and north and not below 5° in Munster and Connacht.

Next week

Temperatures on Monday will range between 7° in the east and 10° in the west. Light westerly winds will freshen overnight.

There will be showers along coasts and in the north with sunny spells elsewhere, and it will be mainly dry on Monday night when temperatures will fall to between 3° in the east and 7° in the west.

Tuesday will be mainly dry with showers on coasts at first, becoming widespread later. Afternoon temperatures will be 11° or 12° for all parts of the country with a moderate to fresh westerly wind.

Temperatures overnight on Monday will range between 3° and 5° .

The further outlook to the middle of next week is for fresh northwest winds moderating west to southwest, with showers mainly on coasts and temperatures between 7° and 11° generally.