After the warmest week of the year, temperatures look set to drop with longer and heavier spells of rain forecast for the second part of the weekend and first part of next week.

Friday will start bright and sunny for all the country with temperatures expected to reach highs of 22 or 23 C. Later in the evening, rain is expected to move across the country from the south where the east is likely to get the most of the rain.

For Saturday and the rest of the weekend, showers and heavier spells of rain are forecast.

Rain lingering from Friday will clear on Saturday morning before being bright for most of the day. Showers are expected move in across the western half of the country later in the day.

Showers and heavier spells of rain will occur in the north and west of the country on Sunday with temperatures dropping back to no more than 18 or 19 C.

Monday and Tuesday are expected to be much of the same with showers, turning to heavier spells of rain with the best of the weather in the east.

Early indications suggest that temperatures could recover from the second half of next week with rain also expected to ease after Tuesday.