Friday

Met Éireann has said that Friday will get off to a chilly and mostly dry start with sunny spells. Cloud will build from the west during the afternoon with patchy rain and drizzle spreading over the western half of the country by evening.

Highest afternoon temperatures will be of 12°C to 16°C degrees with light winds increasing moderate southwest in the afternoon.

Saturday

It will be a mild and breezy day on Saturday with mostly cloudy skies. Outbreaks of rain will move in across west Munster, Connacht and Ulster during the late morning and afternoon.

However, Met Éireann has said that it looks set to hold mostly dry in Leinster and east Munster on Saturday with just the odd spot of rain or drizzle.

Highest temperatures will be of 14°C to 17°C in fresh and gusty southerly winds. Outbreaks of rain and drizzle will extend nationwide on Saturday night, clearing from the northwest of the country by the end of the night.

Lowest temperatures will be of 10°C to 13°C in moderate southwest breezes.

Sunday

Rain will clear from the southeast during the course of Sunday morning to leave a generally dry day across the country with a mix of cloud and sunny spells. Maximum temperatures will be of 16°C to 19°C degrees in light westerly winds. On Sunday night, cloud will thicken from the Atlantic with outbreaks of rain pushing northwards over the country. Lowest temperatures will be of 10°C to 12°C degrees with moderate southeast winds.

Management notes

Beef management

Martin Merrick discusses the upcoming closing date for the Beef Welfare Scheme, why weanlings should now be separated and closing up paddocks for spring 2025.

Sheep management

Darren Carty says that breeding is a good time to check for missing tags as it avoids unnecessary handling of sheep in early gestation.

Dairy management

The closed period for spreading chemical nitrogen starts at the weekend, writes dairy editor Aidan Brennan.

Tillage management

Siobhán Walsh writes that there is a lot of work to be done on tillage farms at the minute, and some deadlines have been extended.