The weekend will offer a brief mixed bag before conditions turn increasingly unsettled, with Tuesday now emerging as the day to watch.

Met Éireann says a deep area of low pressure in the Atlantic is expected to move close to Ireland on Tuesday, bringing a spell of wet and windy weather.

The latest forecast warns of widespread rain, with some heavy falls possible, accompanied by fresh to strong and gusty winds from the southeast.

Coastal areas could see the strongest winds, with conditions potentially reaching near gale or gale force at times. And the bad news is that Tuesday may not be a one-day affair.

Met Éireann’s extended outlook suggests the unsettled pattern will continue for the rest of the working week, with further spells of rain and blustery weather possible.

Rainfall totals are also expected to be above average for the week, particularly across the south and west. Saturday looks like the better day of the weekend, with some sunny spells and scattered showers.

Temperatures could reach around 15 to 20 degrees, although showers are expected to become more frequent later, particularly in the west and northwest. But Sunday is a very different story.

Rain will spread across the country, with some heavy and potentially thundery bursts and a risk of localised flooding.

Monday should provide something of a breather, with drier and brighter conditions for many before the Atlantic system moves in. By Tuesday, the weather is expected to take a distinctly autumnal turn.

The combination of heavy rain and strengthening winds could make for difficult conditions, particularly in exposed coastal areas. There is not yet confirmation that this system will become a named storm, and the exact track and strength remain uncertain.

But forecasters are increasingly confident that a significant spell of wet and windy weather is heading towards Ireland.

And the latest outlook suggests we could be looking at a very unsettled start to October, rather than a quick one-day blast of bad weather.

So while there is no need to panic just yet, Tuesday is definitely one to keep an eye on.