A mix of sunshine and showers today

Weather update from Met Éireann

Today will start off mainly dry. Rain will develop in the west early this morning. It will spread eastwards across the country and will clear to the southeast early this afternoon. Sunshine and scattered showers will follow. Moderate to fresh southwest winds will become westerly as rain clears. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees.

Tonight will start off mainly dry. Rain and drizzle will develop in the northwest towards midnight and will spread southeastwards across the country overnight. Showers will follow into western areas by dawn. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 8 degrees with southwesterly winds increasing fresh to strong and gusty.

On Saturday morning, rain in the south and east will clear quickly and will be followed by sunny spells and blustery showers for the rest of the day. It will be windy with fresh to strong, gusty westerly winds which will reach gale force along western and northern coasts. Afternoon temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees.

Becoming cloudy on Friday night as outbreaks of showery rain move in from the Atlantic during the night, clearing to isolated showers by dawn. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees in fresh to strong and gusty west to southwest winds.

Saturday will be a windy day. It will start out damp or wet with outbreaks of rain clearing quickly southwards during the morning, followed by sunny spells and scattered blustery showers. Afternoon highs will range 6 to 10 degrees generally but up to 11 degrees in southern coastal parts. Fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds, will reach gale force along western and northern coasts with spray and/or wave overtopping possible.

Very windy on Saturday night with showers becoming widespread overnight. Some of showers could be heavy and wintry with a mix of rain, hail, sleet and possibly some snow, especially in parts of Ulster and on higher ground. The showers will be hit and miss but some temporary accumulations are possible where they do fall. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds veering northwest overnight.

Very windy to begin on Sunday. Blustery showers will be fairly widespread early on, some of them heavy and wintry with a mix of rain, hail, sleet and possibly some snow. The showers will be hit and miss but some temporary accumulations are possible where they do fall. Showers will become confined to the west and north in the afternoon and the risk of any sleet and snow will diminish. Afternoon highs 5 to 8 degrees. Fresh to strong and gusty northwesterly winds, will reach gale or strong gale along western and northern coasts.

Showers become isolated overnight, with clear spells. Cloud will build from the west with light rain developing in the southwest by dawn. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees in light to moderate westerly winds.

Becoming cloudy on Monday as light outbreaks of rain and drizzle spread from the west through the day. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees, in light to moderate southerly breezes, veering westerly later on.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Current indications suggest that it'll be mostly cloudy with some light rain and drizzle. The rain likely to be most frequent in parts of the west and northwest of the country, with the driest conditions further east. Temperatures look set to range around 10 to 13 degrees for Christmas eve and Christmas day along with moderate southwest winds. It will remain mild overnight midweek also with no frost expected.