IT’S SET TO be a weekend of unsettled weather, with heavy showers expected in parts of the country and a chance of thunderstorms in places. 

Met Éireann said the rain showers will also continue into early next week, but the cooler temperature will increase later in the week. 

Today’s sunny start will give way to showers which will become more widespread as the day goes on and turn heavy in parts, with the chance of isolated thunderstorms. 

Temperatures will reach highs of between 14 to 18 degrees in light to moderate west to northwest winds.

Scattered showers will continue early tonight, with thunderstorms also looking likely. The showers will become increasingly isolated overnight, and largely confined to the west and north, with lowest temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees.

Another showery day is expected tomorrow, with some slow-moving heavy and possibly thundery downpours developing in the afternoon and evening. Highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees. 

The forecaster said Monday looks like it will start out mainly dry with sunny spells, with highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees. 

However, scattered showers will break out as the day goes on, and cloud will build from the south over Munster and parts of Leinster, with patchy rain and drizzle developing near the south coast towards evening.

Tuesday will be mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. The best of any drier and brighter intervals in coastal fringes of the west and north, with highs of 16 to 20 degrees.

Current indications suggest that after a mostly cloudy and damp start to Wednesday, brighter, sunnier intervals will gradually break through as the day goes on. Highest temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees.