It will be breezy and blustery in places at first today, with scattered rain and drizzle, and patches of mist with hill and coastal fog in some areas. It will be generally cloudy overall, but sunnier intervals will develop in parts of Ulster and Connacht throughout the day. Top temperatures will range from 15°C to 19°C. Moderate to fresh southwest winds will veer westerly this afternoon.

Tonight, occasional rain or drizzle, along with patches of mist and some hill and coastal fog, will continue to affect southern counties. It will become mostly dry, with clear spells elsewhere. There will be isolated showers in some parts of the country. Lows of 9°C to 12°C in light to moderate westerly breezes.

Saturday

Saturday, will be a bright and breezy day with sunshine and showers. Any residual patchy rain in southern counties will clear quickly during the morning and the showers will become confined to northwest Connacht and west Ulster during the afternoon. Top temperatures of 14°C to 19°C, with highest values in the southeast. Moderate to fresh westerly breezes will be strong and gusty near the northwest coast.

Saturday night will be dry in most places under clear spells in mainly light to moderate westerly breezes. Cloudy, misty conditions with patchy rain and drizzle will affect the Connacht and west Munster coasts, however. Lows of 8°C to 12°C forecast.

Sunday

Sunday will be a mostly dry day apart from isolated drizzle patches near the Atlantic coastal fringes. A cloudier day than Saturday with locally misty conditions at first, but there will be some limited sunshine during the afternoon. Top temperatures will range from 14°C to 19°C in slack winds, with rain likely to move in from the Atlantic overnight.

Management notes

Beef

In this week’s beef management notes, Adam Woods discusses the options for empty cows as the end of the breeding season approaches on many farms.

Dairy

Aidan Brennan looks at herd health in this week’s dairy management notes.

Sheep

The dilemma of castration of male lambs is a popular topic at this stage of the year, writes Darren Carty.

Tillage

In this week’s tillage management notes, Andy Doyle looks at the effects the recent fine spell has had on crops.