IRELAND should brace itself for a dive in temperatures next week, as Met Éireann forecasts a damp and chilly start to Autumn.
The incoming cold and drizzly weather will stand in sharp contrast to the recent warm spell felt throughout much of the country.
While temperatures will hit 20C again today, Saturday 25 September, there will also be isolated patches of rain, mostly near the southern and western coasts.
A polar maritime airmass will move across Ireland as the weekend draws to a close, bringing with it rain, wind and colder temperatures.
It will become “noticeably cooler and more unsettled in the coming week, with temperatures falling back to around average and heavy showers or spells of rain at times,” a Met Éireann forecaster said.
The forecaster added that as rain develops throughout the country on Sunday, spreading from the west and southwest to the east, there will be “heavy downpours and the risk of spot flooding”.
Spells of rain are set to continue throughout the week and the temperature will continue to creep down to lows of 6-10C on Tuesday night.
Here is Met Éireann’s breakdown of the weather next week:
Sunday night: Heavy rain in the east will gradually clear into the Irish Sea on Sunday night, followed by a mix of clear spells and scattered showers from the west. Turning cooler with the clearance of the rain with lowest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees in moderate southwest winds.
Monday: A much cooler and fresher day with a mix of sunny spells and heavy showers. Showers will be most frequent over the western half of the country with the potential for thunderstorms.
Highest temperatures falling back to around normal for the time of year at 12 to 15 degrees in moderate to fresh southwest winds.
Monday night: Showers will become more confined to southern and western coastal areas through Monday night, with drier and clearer spells developing elsewhere. However, it will become cloudier across the country towards morning. Lowest temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees in moderate southwest winds.
Tuesday: A wet day with widespread heavy showers or longer spells of rain developing again on Tuesday. Feeling cool with highest temperatures of 11 to 15 degrees in moderate southerly winds.
Tuesday night: The heaviest showers will gradually clear to the north on Tuesday night, leaving a mix of clear spells and scattered showers. Lowest temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees.
Wednesday: Another showery day on Wednesday, with showers feeding in across the country on a moderate to fresh westerly airflow. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees.
Further outlook: Remaining generally unsettled into next weekend with spells of rain and heavy showers at times. Staying cooler too, with temperatures in the low to mid-teens.
