Deirdre O Meara 
The latest forecast from the national weather service this morning is for temperatures to fall over the weekend. There is a gale warning in place for Clare and Galway, with possible coastal flooding as very high spring tides saw spot flooding in Cork city again this morning.
Weekend Weather Forecast
This weekend will bring more heavy showers and strong winds across Munster, with areas close to the coast worst affected. Kerry will also see ‘very strong’ winds while daytime highs will struggle to get much above 10 degrees. The very unsettled weather will stay in effect until late into next week at least, with no sign of a major change as we move towards April. However, many parts of Cork will see bright sunshine breaking through the clouds tomorrow and on Sunday as conditions change rapidly from wet and windy to fresh.
Next Week’s Forecast
Into next week, it will remain pretty cold with daytime highs across Cork of between 10 and 13C, but the nights will be milder as we slowly start to see more springlike conditions. The full forecast from Met Eireann for Munster this morning looks like:
Today – Friday 24th March
Very windy today with strong and gusty southwest to west winds, very strong winds in Clare and possibly also Kerry with gales along western coasts. Some coastal flooding likely around high tides. Widespread heavy showers, merging to longer spells of rain at times, with brief brighter periods. Chance of hail or lightning in heavy downpours. Highest temperatures of 10 to 12 degrees.
Tonight
Strong westerly winds will gradually moderate overnight. Showers will become less frequent with long clear spells developing overnight. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees.
Tomorrow – Saturday 25th March
Tomorrow will bring hazy spells of sunshine, although it will turn cloudier later in the afternoon. There will be well scattered showers, with a chance of more persistent rain developing in the south in the evening. Highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees. Moderate westerly breezes will largely ease light in the afternoon.
National Outlook
Overview: Colder and Somewhat Drier at First, Turning Wet and Mild Again from Tuesday.
Saturday Night
Rain is likely to affect southern coastal counties. Elsewhere there will be isolated showers and many places will be dry under broken cloud. Light easterly winds will turn northerly by morning, with fresher winds towards the east and south coast. A chilly night with lows of 2 to 5 degrees.
Sunday
Scattered showers with some sunny spells in a mostly light northerly breeze. Highs will range from 7 degrees in Ulster up to 13 degrees in Munster.
Sunday Night
Lingering showers will die out early on Sunday night, becoming largely dry and clear, with very light winds. Turning cold and frosty where skies remain clear with lows of 0 to -3 degrees. Some ice patches possible.
Monday
Monday will be a mostly dry day. A cold start with frost and ice clearing in sunshine. It will turn cloudier during the day with possible isolated showers. Afternoon highs will reach around 9 to 12 degrees for most, with light to moderate southerly winds. Overnight, a spell of rain will spread from the Atlantic to many areas as southerly winds freshen. Overnight lows of 5 to 8 degrees.
Tuesday
A widespread spell of rain, followed by showers later in the day. Moderate to fresh south
to southwest winds with highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees.
Wednesday
Wednesday is looking to be mild, breezy and wet with further spells of rain.
As Munster continues to experience unsettled weather conditions, residents are advised to take precautions against possible flooding and strong winds. However, there is some hope in the form of brighter conditions over the weekend, before wet weather returns next week. Stay safe and keep an eye on the weather forecast for any updates.
