Friday

Met Éireann says Friday will be windy, with fresh to strong and gusty west to northwesterly winds, strengthening to near gale force in the northwest and in coastal areas.

There will be sunny spells and widespread blustery showers. Some of the showers will turn to sleet later, with snow possible on high ground.

Temperatures early Friday afternoon will be around 4°C to 9°C and it will get colder through the day.

It will be very windy on Friday night, with strong to near gale force north to northwesterly winds and gales around the coast. It will become dry and clear in most areas overnight, but showers will continue in the north and west. Temperatures will drop to a low of 1°C to 4°C.

Saturday

It will still be quite windy on Saturday morning, with fresh to strong north to northwesterly winds becoming gradually calmer through the day, according to Met Éireann.

It will be a cold and bright day with long spells of sunshine. However, cloud will increase over the western half of the country during the afternoon and showers may develop. Afternoon temperatures will reach just 4°C to 6°C.

Early Saturday night will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle moving into western areas, which will then move eastwards overnight. Temperatures will fall to -1°C to +4°C.

Sunday

Met Éireann says Sunday will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, which will be heaviest in the northwest. Morning cold temperatures will linger in the east, with afternoon temperatures rising to just 3°C to 5°C. However, it will become milder in the west, with temperatures increasing to 8°C to 11°C.

Moderate northwesterly winds will develop in the west, but otherwise winds will be light and variable.

Sunday night will be mostly cloudy with further outbreaks of rain and drizzle moving eastwards. Lowest temperatures of 3°C to 9°C will occur early in the night, with the coldest conditions in the northeast.

Management notes

Tillage

With the vast majority of crops now emerged, the focus must move to continued crop protection, writes tillage editor Andy Doyle.

Sheep

Farmers in the west and northwest should be vigilant of a high threat of liver fluke following the release of the Department of Agriculture's liver fluke forecast, says sheep editor Darren Carty.

Beef

Beef editor Adam Woods takes a look at the BDGP extension, coping with COVID-19, an upcoming webinar and looking after 2021 silage supplies in advance of 2022.

Dairy

In the dairy notes, dairy editor Aidan Brennan says now is the time to put a plan in place for managing fertiliser next season.