Sarah Mooney Met Éireann has forecast a largely cloudy bank holiday weekend, with sunshine “possibly breaking through” to temporarily bathe the island. Temperatures have taken a nosedive after a recent heatwave saw Ireland’s highest temperature in 135 years recorded in Dublin less than two weeks ago. The national forecaster said highest daytime temperatures will range from 17 to 23 degrees across a “mixed” weekend as people enjoy time off during the August bank holiday, with warmest conditions in the south and east. “Generally dry and cloudy this morning with some scattered showers developing, mainly across Atlantic coastal counties,” Met Éireann said. “More widespread rain will arrive into west and northwest coasts by evening. Humid with highest temperatures ranging from 18 to 22 degrees, warmest and driest across the east and southeast.” Scattered outbreaks of rain will move in across the country tonight, the forecaster said, turning persistent in the north and west with driest conditions in the southeast. It will be “rather warm, humid and breezy”, with lowest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees. Saturday will be rather cloudy with occasional rain or showers, along with some low cloud and mist along some Atlantic coasts. “Longer drier spells will occur too though, with some warm sunshine possibly breaking through away from Atlantic counties,” Met Éireann said. Highest temperatures of 18 to 23 degrees, warmest in the southeast and east, are forecast. Saturday night will see outbreaks of rain move in across the country, with showers likely to be heaviest in the south and just patchy to the north. It will be mild and humid again, with lowest temperatures between 12 and 17 degrees.

Sunday and Monday

Sunday will begin mostly dull with lingering outbreaks of rain, heaviest in the south. Sunny spells will however develop, with just scattered showers following by the afternoon. “Highest temperatures will range from 17 to 23 degrees, warmest in southern counties,” said Met Éireann. Sunday night will see some mist and fog, while further falls of rain will begin to move in across much of the southern half of the country later in the night. Lowest temperatures of 10 to 16 degrees, mildest across southern and eastern counties, are expected. Current indications are that Monday will be mostly dull with outbreaks of rain moving up across the country, turning heaviest in the afternoon and evening. There will be hill, mist and coastal fog too, Met Éireann said, while highest temperatures will range from 17 to 22 or 23 degrees.