Sunny weather ahead as temperatures to hit 23 degrees this week

Today will start fairly cloudy with scattered light showers, the showers will tend to die away through the morning. The day will be mostly dry and bright but it will be blustery during the afternoon with some decent sunny intervals developing.

Highest temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees are forecast, coolest in the northwest.

It will be dry tonight with long clear spells. Some localised mist and fog will develop too and it will be cool with lowest temperatures of 6 to 8 degrees.

Tomorrow will be a largely dry day with spells of warm sunshine. It will become cloudier in the northwest in the evening with some patchy drizzle developing near the coast. Highest temperatures of 17 to 22 degrees are expected.

Cloud will continue to build from the northwest on Monday night with outbreaks of rain moving south eastwards over most of the country. It will be a mild night with temperatures generally not falling into single digits.

Scattered outbreaks of rain are expected on Tuesday morning but will gradually clear south eastwards. The afternoon will be brighter with spells of sunshine and just a few showers. Highest temperatures of 16 to 21 degrees are forecast, warmest in the southeast.

It will be dry for many areas with a mix of sunny spells and cloudy periods on Wednesday. Some isolated showers are expected too, especially in the morning and early afternoon with highest temperatures of 16 to 21 degrees.

Thursday will see a good deal of dry weather too. There will be a mix of cloud and sunny spells and some patchy drizzle at times in the northwest. Highest temperatures of 17 to 23 degrees are expected, with temperatures warmest over south Leinster.

"Friday will still be quite warm for a time especially in the east where there will be sunny spells and a few showers,” a Met Éireann forecaster says.

"However, a weather front is currently predicted to move in from the Atlantic during Friday and on Friday night bringing some rain. Cooler unsettled weather with showers following in turn for next weekend.”