Friday

Friday will be mostly cold, with sunny spells and scattered showers of rain or hail most frequent in the west and north.

There is a possibility of sleet in areas of high ground.

Cloud will increase in the west and southwest later, with patchy drizzle possible near the coast.

Afternoon temperatures will be between 5°C and 8°C in a moderate to fresh west to northwest wind.

Friday night then will see outbreaks of rain and drizzle move eastwards across the country. Coldest temperatures early in the night, from 1°C to 6°C, will be lowest in the northeast.

Light southerly winds will increase from moderate to fresh in the west and northwest later in the night.

Saturday

Saturday morning and early afternoon will be cloudy and wet with hill and coastal fog.

However, drier and clearer weather is set to develop across Connacht, Ulster and north Leinster.

There may be some showers in the northwest.

The rain will become lighter and patchier in the south too.

Temperatures will be mild, ranging between 9°C and 13°C, in a moderate south to southwest winds.

Saturday night will be cloudy in the south with patchy rain or drizzle, but in the north there will be clear spells and just some showers in the northwest.

Lowest temperatures of 5°C to 10°C north to south, with light to moderate southerly winds.

Sunday

Sunday currently looks like it will start cloudy and breezy, heaviest in the west and north.

There will be temperatures of 10°C to 13°C, in a fresh to strong southerly wind.

Further outbreaks of rain will occur as we head into Sunday night.

There will be minimum temperatures 4°C to 7°C.

Management notes

Beef

Adam Woods takes a look at high fertiliser prices and what beef farmers can do to try to spread out the risk in 2022.

Dairy

Aidan Brennan goes through the dosing requirements for dairy cows this winter.

Sheep

Darren Carty discusses how factory procurement managers are reporting greater scrutiny around compliance with the clean livestock policy in recent days, which is not surprising given the high level of rainfall in many areas. Read more here.

Tillage

While field work is increasingly difficult, keep an occasional eye on all crops to ensure that pests are not getting a foothold, Andy Doyle has said.