Temperatures to hit 20 degrees this weekend – and Met Éireann predicts the hot spots

Across Saturday and Sunday, cloud will affect all provinces in the morning, however, it is expected to give way to long spells of bright sunshine by afternoon.

The east of the country will see the best of the sunshine, however, isolated showers may drift in from the Irish Sea on Saturday night.

Sunday is set to be the warmest and sunniest day of the weekend, but Met Éireann said western counties could be hit with a few showers in the afternoon.

There will be a rather cloudy start for many areas this morning, with a few showers in the northwest. Met Éireann said it will become a little brighter in the east of the country and any lingering showers will die out in the afternoon. Sunny spells will develop during the day with highest temperatures of 16 to 19 degrees.

Tonight, clear spells will develop across many eastern parts of the country, but it'll remain cloudy in the west. Westerly winds will ease by night allowing patches of mist and fog to form, mainly in the south, with lowest temperatures overnight of 5 to 9 degrees.

Any lingering fog patches will quickly clear on Saturday morning, but it will remain a mostly cloudy early on. However, Met Éireann said some sunny intervals will develop around afternoon and highs will reach 16 to 19 degrees.

There will be long clear spells on Saturday night with a few fog patches forming in light breezes. Some isolated showers may drift in from the Irish Sea to affect some eastern counties, in lowest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees.

Met Éireann said Sunday will be one of the warmest days of the year so far, with long spells of warm sunshine expected and just the small chance of a few showers developing in the west by afternoon. Maximum temperatures of 17 to 20 degrees are forecast generally, cooler on coasts.

Sunday night will be mostly dry early on with clear spells and lowest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees. However, rain will develop in the southwest before dawn on Monday.

Rain in the southwest will extend quickly northwards over the country on Monday, turning heavy in places with some thundery downpours possible. Met Éireann said drier and brighter conditions will extend from the south later in the day. It will be a humid day with highest temperatures of 16 to 19 degrees

It will be dry for a time on Monday night but another spell of rain will push up from the south later and it will turn quite blustery, with lowest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees.

Met Éireann said Tuesday will be wet with outbreaks of rain pushing up from the south. The rain will reach all areas of the country during the day with blustery southerly winds too and highest temperatures of 16 to 19 degrees.

"Early indications for Wednesday is that it will be rather unsettled with rain, possibly heavy at times moving over the country with blustery and gusty southerly winds. Temperatures staying in the mid-teens," Met Éireann said.