Monday

It will be a wet and windy start to bank holiday Monday, with further heavy spells of rain leading to spot flooding.

Fresh to strong and gusty southerly winds will veer westerly, with some damaging gusts through the day.

Winds will continue to reach gale force along coastal areas of the southeast, southwest and west.

In the afternoon, rain will break up into showers with some sunny spells developing, but with the risk of hail too. Highest temperatures will range from 10°C to 12°C.

It will be rather windy, with scattered showers and clear spells by night. A few wintry showers will occur over northern hills towards morning.

Fresh to strong and gusty north to northwest winds will decrease moderate to fresh overnight. Lowest temperatures will range from 2°C to 5°C.

Tuesday

Tuesday will be cool and blustery with sunshine and widespread showers. Some showers will be heavy, with hail and possible sleet on higher ground. Highest temperatures will range from 7°C to 11°C, coolest across Ulster, in a fresh and gusty northwesterly wind.

Showers will become confined mainly to the northwest on Tuesday night with long clear spells developing generally.

It will be cold, with lowest temperatures of -1°C to 2°C. Frost may develop locally.

Wednesday

Wednesday morning will begin fairly sunny, although there will be some scattered showers in the northwest. Showers will become more widespread during the afternoon, gradually dying out during the evening hours.

It will be another cool day, with highest temperatures ranging 7°C to 11°C, coolest in Ulster, with light northerly or variable breezes.

By night, it will be mostly dry with long clear spells and just isolated showers. It will be cold, with lowest temperatures of -2°C to +1°C. Frost will develop locally.

Thursday

Like Wednesday morning, Thursday will begin fairly sunny, although there will be some scattered showers in the northwest.

Showers will become more widespread during the afternoon, gradually dying out during the evening hours. It will be another cool day, with highest temperatures ranging 8°C to 11°C, coolest in Ulster, in a mostly moderate northwest breeze.

Outlook

There are tentative signs of milder weather next weekend but it will be unseasonably wet and windy too.

Farming forecast

Rain

Rainfall totals are forecast to be between 2.5 to four times higher than normal, with parts of the northwest expected to record 60mm to 80mm of rain in the next seven days.

Temperatures

Most areas will see mean temperatures between 3°C and 4°C colder than the normal, with a risk of a late frost mid week. Mean soil temperatures have generally been between 1°C and 2.5°C above average but will decrease slightly over the coming week.

Drying conditions

Drying conditions will generally be poor in the week ahead. Persistent and at times heavy rainfall on Monday will lead to poor drying conditions.

Then, a return to cool weather with widespread showers will maintain those poor drying conditions through next week.