Friday

Met Éireann says that Friday will start off mainly dry, with some bright spells and a few showers in the west and south.

During the afternoon, persistent rain will develop in the west and will spread eastwards through the evening and early night.

Light to moderate southerly winds will freshen in the afternoon, becoming stronger along Atlantic coasts. Highest daytime temperatures will range from 7°C to 10°C.

Friday night will be wetter again, with widespread outbreaks of rain. However, this will clear before dawn, with showers following into Atlantic counties later.

It will be blustery and cold, with temperatures falling to of 3°C to 6°C.

Saturday

Saturday will be windy, with a mix of sunny spells and scattered heavy showers of rain or hail, according to Met Éireann.

The best of the dry spells will take place during the morning and away from Atlantic counties.

Fresh to strong southerly winds will be very strong at times along Atlantic coasts. Temperatures will be between 6°C and 9°C.

Saturday night will remain windy, with fresh or strong southwest winds, particularly along Atlantic coasts.

There will be widespread showers, some of hail, with brief clear periods and temperatures of 4°C to 7°C.

Sunday

Met Éireann forecasts that Sunday will be breezy or blustery with fresh southwest winds, again particularly in coastal areas.

There will be further heavy showers, with some bright spells and hail will again be likely.

Highest temperatures will reach 5°C to 8°C, with an added wind chill.

Overnight, scattered showers will continue to spread in a moderate to fresh southwesterly airflow and temperatures will dip to between 1°C and 4°C.

Management notes

Tillage

As land remains wet, there is plenty of planning to be done going into the new year, which is set to be a challenging one, according to Siobhán Walsh.

Sheep

The deadline to apply to the Sheep Improvement Scheme of 11.59pm on Monday 9 January is approaching fast, with farmers who miss the deadline locked out for the duration of the scheme, warns sheep editor Darren Carty.

Beef

Beef editor Adam Woods takes a look at slurry spreading opening dates, lice treatments and weanling performance on beef farms.

Dairy

Dairy editor Aidan Brennan advises those looking for grass and clover seeds to secure supplies early, as some seed varieties are likely to be scarce.