Any patchy drizzle will clear during the afternoon on Friday and cloud will gradually thin and break allowing sunny spells to develop in many areas. Highest temperatures of 14 to 16°C in the northwest but between 17 and 19°C elsewhere in light southwest or variable breezes.

Mostly dry Friday night with clear spells and a few patches of mist. Minimum temperatures of 5 to 8°C in light southerly or variable winds.

Saturday

Saturday will be dry and sunny in most areas. However, cloud will gradually build across the western half of the country later in the day. Highest temperatures will range from 16 to 20°C with light southerly breezes freshening later.

Cloud will thicken from the west on Saturday evening with rain developing there on Saturday night. Then outbreaks of rain will affect much of the western half of the country by morning. Lowest temperatures 9 to 11°C, with light to moderate southerly winds.

Sunday

Sunday will be generally dull and damp with patchy outbreaks of rain. Temperatures will range between 14 and 16°C with light to moderate southerly winds. Later in the day the winds in the west of the country will veer to the north introducing cooler weather there. Overnight temperatures will range between 7 and 10°C.

Next week

There is still a degree of uncertainty for Monday, current indications suggest that the frontal band bringing rain on Sunday will linger along the west coast, with some heavy bursts developing in some central and western areas, along with northerly winds and cool conditions, while in the east and southeast there'll be a fine and warm day with sunny spells and light to moderate southerly winds there. However, there is a risk that this rain bearing front will push through to the east also.

Tuesday is currently looking mainly dry with any lingering rain clearing early. There'll be light northerly winds by this stage and temperatures around normal in the east and south but cooler in areas exposed to that northerly wind.

Management notes

Beef

In our beef management notes Adam Woods takes a look at making silage, repairing paddocks and meeting ANC stocking rate requirements.

Dairy

Similarly on the dairy side breeding, silage stocks and calves focus minds this week.

Sheep

This week’s sheep management notes cover optimum control of surplus grass, adhering to the sheep welfare scheme reference number and blowfly strike prevention.

Tillage

While there are still pockets of sowing going on in parts of the south, many growers have completed their spring sowing campaigns. The focus now shifts to spring crop husbandry.

Read more

Summary of livestock events for day three of Balmoral show