Wet and windy weather will develop on Friday night and early on Saturday as a low pressure system sweeps across Ireland.
After a dry start on Friday, outbreaks of heavy rain will spread across the country later in the day and overnight with strong and gusty northwesterly winds developing, alongside gales on southern and western coasts.
Met Éireann meteorologist Aoife Kealy commented that “A low pressure system will approach the country on Friday and that will drive outbreaks of rain eastwards across us Friday evening and night. That rain will turn heavy in places overnight and on Saturday morning, which could lead to spot flooding. The low pressure system will also bring strong and gusty northwest winds, especially in the southwest and south.”
There is still uncertainty around the track of this low and the exact areas that will see the strongest winds and heaviest rain.
Aoife explained “Despite the uncertainty in the low’s exact trajectory, we do know that it will be unseasonably wet and windy. The combination of those strong winds and heavy rain could lead to some difficult travelling conditions and impact any outdoor events on Friday night and Saturday morning, particularly anyone attending festivals and sleeping in tents or temporary structures. Due to trees being in full leaf and the ground being waterlogged from record rainfall during the month of July, there is a risk of some fallen trees in those areas with the strongest winds.”
The low pressure system will gradually move into the Irish Sea on Saturday, with scattered showers following from the northwest.
“That low will clear to the east on Saturday afternoon, and a mix of sunshine and showers will follow for later Saturday and Sunday. It’ll be a brighter day on Sunday with more in the way of dry spells.” continued Aoife.
Sunday is looking like the best day of the weekend – another low pressure system will cross the country on Monday, bringing further rainfall.
Aoife says “With the unseasonable weather expected over the weekend, especially with more people on the move for the bank holiday, we ask people to keep an eye on the forecast and any possible warnings for their area at www.met.ie and on the Met Éireann app.”