Monday

Monday will be mostly cloudy, with patches of rain and drizzle merging to give longer spells of rain later in the day in the north and west according to Met Éireann. It will be a brighter day in Munster and Leinster, with some sunshine there. Highest temperatures will be split with values of 11°C to 14°C in the north and west, and typically between 16°C and 19°C elsewhere.

Monday night will be mild with further outbreaks of rain and drizzle, mainly in Connacht and Ulster and along the west Munster coast. Lows will range from 10°C to 12°C.

Tuesday

It will be mostly cloudy at first, with patchy rain and drizzle, mainly in the west, north and on the east coast but will become mostly dry during the day, with bright or sunny spells developing, especially in the midlands and east. It will be quite warm, with maximum temperatures of 17°C to 21°C.

Tuesday night will remain dry, with partly cloudy skies becoming mostly clear by morning. Lows of 7°C to 11°C.

Wednesday

Wednesday will start a mostly dry day, with sunny spells, but rain will develop later on west and southwest coasts. It will be warm in many areas, with maximum temperatures of 17°C to 20°C, but cooler in Munster and coastal areas.

Rain will extend eastward across the country Wednesday night in lows of 7°C to 12°C.

Thursday

Current indications from Met Éireann are for a dry day with good sunny spells in most areas and highs of 17°C to 20°C in moderate to fresh southeasterly winds. However, cloud will extend from the southwest through the afternoon and rain will develop during the evening in the southwest extending northeastwards across the country overnight.

Farming forecast

Rain

Over the past week, there has been little or no rain but there will be more over the coming week, especially in the west and north of the country. Rain will become more likely later in the week, especially on Friday. Rainfall amounts are expected to be above average in Ulster and Connacht, but around average or below average in Leinster and Munster.

Temperatures

The past week was cool overall, with air temperatures below average in all parts of the country by up to 3.5°C. However, due to warmer conditions in previous weeks, soil temperatures continued to be above average, ranging from 11.5°C to 13.5°C, giving plenty of warmth for growth. The coming week will be warmer. Mean air temperatures will recover and will be above average as soil temperatures continue well above average.

Drying conditions

Drying conditions will be good in the south and east for the early days of next week. However, rain in the west and north will lead to poor drying conditions there. Current indications are that drying conditions will be poor countrywide from Thursday onwards.

Spraying

The best conditions will be in the early part of the week, particularly in eastern and southern areas where it will be mainly dry. Rain is expected in northern and western areas during this period so conditions will not be as favourable there. Poor conditions countrywide from Thursday onwards.

Field conditions

Soil moisture deficits are currently around 50mm in most areas with restrictions on growth due to lack of moisture. With rain expected this week, moisture levels will increase, especially later in the week when substantial amounts of rain are expected.