THE WEEK is set to start off rainy, but it looks like the May Bank Holiday weekend could be dry and sunny.

Met Éireann has said it’ll gradually become warmer this week and through the weekend.

“There’s uncertainty in the detail from Thursday onwards, and while there’ll be further showers or spells of rain in places, there’s likely to be a good lot of dry weather too with sunshine,” the forecaster has said. 

Looking at today, there will be outbreaks of rain this morning, but the wet conditions will clear through the morning and early afternoon. 

The rest of the day will bring a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers, some heavy. 

It will be rather windy or breezy for a time, the winds stronger for a time in coastal parts of the east, south and west.

Tonight is due to bring a mix of clear spells and some well scattered showers early on, but becoming cloudy from the south, with rain moving northwards, becoming heavy at times, with the chance of some spot flooding.

There will be further rain for a time tomorrow. However, the persistent rain, is forecast to generally clear northwestwards through the morning, with bright or sunny spells and showers following for the rest of the day.

Some of the showers will be heavy, with the likelihood of thunder and lightning and the possibility of hail, Met Éireann has said. 

Conditions are forecast to be much drier on Wednesday, the first of day May, as compared to earlier in the week. 

Some clear spells are due to continue on Wednesday night, mainly in the southwest and west, otherwise it’ll become increasingly cloudy from the east.

Rain is expected to push in from the Irish Sea to parts of the east and north overnight, while it’ll stay mostly dry elsewhere, but with some mist and fog patches forming. 

Met Éireann said that at the moment, it looks like there’ll be some limited bright or sunny spells on Thursday, mostly likely in the southwest, but overall there will be a good lot of cloud, with outbreaks of showery rain in places.

Some parts of the country may escape the rain though, with the southwest looking most favoured.

Friday is likely to bring some sunshine and good dry spells, Met Éireann has said, but with the chance of heavy showers or even a longer spell of rain in places.

Conditions are due to get milder with highest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees.

The forecaster said it will become warmer over the May Bank Holiday weekend, and “while there’s a good lot of uncertainty, it looks like there should be a good of dry weather overall with sunshine, but with the possibility of heavy showers at times too.

Temperatures are likely to reach between 15 and 19 or 20 degrees.