Friday

Cloudy and wet conditions will predominate Friday. Outbreaks of rain will extend eastwards to all areas, turning heavy and possibly thundery in parts of west Munster, west Connacht and later in west Ulster, with a risk of localised flooding.

There will be highs of 17°C to 21°C in mostly moderate southerly winds and it will be fresher on northern, eastern and southern coasts.

Drier conditions will be experienced in the evening in the west and southwest where winds will be lighter. However, overall it will be breezy with rain forecast for the east.

Friday night will see rain continuing over the eastern half of Ireland and will turn heavy at times.

The west will experience drier conditions for most of the night. Showers will come from the Atlantic by morning. The night will be mild with temperatures not dipping below 14°C to 16°C.

Saturday

Saturday morning will be dull in the east with further rain, which will clear slowly as the morning progresses.

Brighter weather with showers will follow from the west in the afternoon. Widespread showers will turn thundery through the afternoon and evening with a risk of spot flooding.

Temperatures will reach peaks of 17°C to 21°C with mostly light southerly or variable breezes.

Saturday night will see showers gradually die out. Conditions will become dry and patches of mist and fog will develop. Lowest temperatures will range from 10°C to 13°C.

Sunday

Bright intervals will develop after any fog clears on Sunday. Dry conditions will predominate, with some scattered showers. It will be warm, with temperatures reaching 18°C to 21°C with light northerly breezes.

Management notes

Sheep

Kill-out in lambs has been more variable in recent days as grass dry matter decreases and as breeding sales get into full swing, farmers should have a health protocol in place for new arrivals, Declan Marren advises.

Beef

With ground conditions reasonably good on most cattle farms, farmers should look to get as much slurry as possible spread during the remainder of August and throughout September, Kieran Mailey says.

Tillage

Harvest is being delayed by broken weather but yields and quality appear to be holding up well so far and hopefully a good harvest window will open up shortly, Andy Doyle reports.

Dairy

In the dairy notes, Aidan Brennan says now is the time to do a grass budget for the spring and autumn, as long as it takes the guesswork out of managing grass.