Mercury could hit 21 degrees before weather breaks

Weather update from Met Éireann

Warm, dry and sunny today, Thursday, after a chilly start. Any mist and fog patches will soon clear this morning. Highest temperatures of 16 to 21 degrees, a touch cooler on coasts, in light variable breezes.

Dry and mostly clear tonight. Areas of mist and fog will develop overnight, becoming dense in places. Lowest temperatures of 1 to 6 degrees in near calm conditions.

Any mist and fog will soon clear for most on Friday morning to leave another dry and mainly sunny day. Fog could linger in some coastal areas though, particularly in the west and south, so it'll be cooler and duller if and where that fog persists. Highest temperatures of 16 to 21 degrees, generally, in light southwesterly or variable breezes.

Dry and clear on Friday night with areas of mist and fog forming overnight, becoming dense in parts. Lowest temperatures of 1 to 6 degrees in light southerly or variable winds.

Transitioning to cooler and more unsettled weather this weekend and into next week.

Saturday will be a cloudier day overall, though hazy sunny spells will still occur. Mist and fog patches will gradually clear through the morning and many areas will be dry, but a few patches of light rain and drizzle will develop later in the afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures of 12 to 16 degrees with light southerly or variable breezes, gradually veering light to moderate westerly.

Any rain and drizzle will die away on Saturday night leaving variable cloud and clear spells. Scattered showers will spread from the Atlantic overnight, affecting mainly western counties. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees.

Scattered showers in the west will spread eastwards over the country on Sunday morning with sunny spells in between. Some of the showers could turn heavy with hail and the chance of the odd rumble of thunder. It'll be a noticeably cooler day with highest temperatures of just 9 to 12 degrees in mostly moderate southwest to west winds, increasing fresh at times along Atlantic coasts.

Showers will become isolated on Sunday night and largely confined to western and southern coasts as winds falls light southwest to south. Cloud amounts will vary but clear spells will develop. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees with a touch of grass frost possible.

Monday will start out dry with sunny spells for many but scattered showers near Atlantic coasts will become fairly widespread by the afternoon. Again, some of the showers could be heavy and of hail with a chance of isolated thunderstorms. Highest temperatures 9 to 12 degrees in light to moderate southwest winds, fresh at times along Atlantic coasts.

Current indications suggest our weather will remain fairly cool and unsettled with further showers or longer spells of rain.