After most places saw some rain on Saturday night and Sunday, the dry conditions are set to return.

A status yellow weather warning was in place for Cork and Kerry on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Up on 25mm (1in) of rain fell in those counties over the weekend.

After a misty night on Sunday, Monday will see conditions improve. There could be some patchy rain and cloud in the east but the sun should break this up. Temperatures will range from 12°C to 17°C. It will be mildest in the west.

Tuesday is expected to the warmest day of the year so far. The western half of the country could see temperatures of 20°C. It will be in the high teens for the rest of the country with it being coolest in the east.

The situation will remain the same for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with Met Éireann forecasting dry and settled conditions for all the country.

However, it will not be as warm as Tuesday. The east will see highest temperatures of 10°C to 12°C but it will be warmer in the west.

Farming forecast

Rainfall

The week just gone was a largely dry one except the rain on Saturday night and Sunday. Recorded rainfall was just 30% to 70% of the weekly norm. This coming week is going to be almost entirely dry.

Temperatures

As a result of the northerly winds, last week was cooler than normal for the time of the year. As a result of high pressure building from the northeast, this coming week is expected to be 2°C to 2.5°C above the average for the time of year.

After the rain over the weekend, grass growth should pick up nicely.

Drying and field conditions

Those in the south and southeast were, broadly, in need of the rain that fell. There will be excellent drying conditions this week ahead and grass growth should be flying. Overall, field conditions are good regardless of where farms are.