Deirdre O Meara 
Dublin is set to experience heavy rain and thunderstorms today, according to the latest forecast from Met Eireann. However, there is good news on the horizon as dry conditions and glorious sunshine are expected over the weekend, with temperatures set to hit 20 degrees.
Today will start off cool and cloudy with showers, some of which may turn heavy, and possible thunderstorms bringing a risk of spot flooding in the afternoon. However, it will brighten up in the evening and be mostly dry. The highest temperatures will be around 13 to 14 degrees.
Dry conditions will continue into the night with clear spells and a slight chance of mist and fog. Temperatures will hit the lows of 6 to 9 degrees. Tomorrow will be dry with sunny spells and temperatures around 14 to 16 degrees.
Looking ahead, the national outlook states that Friday night will be dry with long clear spells. Areas of mist and fog will develop in the near calm conditions, with lowest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees.
Saturday will be mostly dry with spells of hazy sunshine, although isolated showers are possible in the afternoon. Cloud will thicken from the west during the evening, with highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees in light, variable breezes. Saturday night will be cloudy with patchy rain and drizzle developing in the north and west. Winds will be generally light southwest or variable but will increase moderate to fresh near Atlantic coasts. Milder than recent nights with temperatures staying above 9 or 10 degrees.
Sunday will begin damp and cloudy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle giving way to sunshine and a few showers extending from the northwest. The last of the rain and drizzle will likely clear the east coast by evening. It will be much cooler than the preceding days with maximum temperatures of 12 to 14 degrees. Light to moderate southerly winds will turn northwesterly and increase moderate to fresh as the rain clears.
Despite the mixed weather forecast, Dubliners can look forward to a weekend of dry conditions and sunshine, a welcome change from the recent rainy weather.
