It will be a cloudy start to Friday, but this cloud will clear during mid morning and give way to some sunny spells in the afternoon, with perhaps a few scattered showers. Winds will be light westerly and highest temperatures will range from 17°C to 21°C.

Early Friday night will be mostly clear, but cloud will build up overnight, with the possibility of drizzle in the west of the country. Lowest temperatures will be between 11°C and 12°C.

It will be another cloudy start to Saturday with showers in places. Conditions will improve over the course of the afternoon and it will be mainly dry with sunny spells. A light westerly breeze will remain and temperatures will be in the region of 18°C to 22°C.

Sunday will start with heavy rain but these wet conditions will clear eastwards during the morning. Sunday afternoon is expected to be bright and clear with the chance of some light showers, accompanied by sunshine. Moderate winds expected in a light westerly direction. Highest temperatures will range from 18°C to 21°C.

Next week’s weather

For the week ahead, more sunny spells and scattered showers are expected, with temperatures in the mid to late teens.

Management notes

In this week’s beef notes, Kieran Mailey offers advice on finishing bulls at 18 months and how to manage autumn cows ahead of the calving season.

Aidan Brennan discusses reseeding and animal health in the dairy notes section.

In sheep notes, livestock specialist Darren Carty covers lamb eligibility and the requirements for the TAMS II sheep fencing grant.

And finally our tillage editor Andy Doyle looks at this year’s harvest so far and how to minimise grassweeds in next year’s harvest.