'Impactful' weather ahead this August Bank Holiday weekend with possible flooding and thunder

Met Éireann's latest forecast predicts a relatively warm but wet August Bank Holiday weekend ahead, with the weather becoming "impactful" over the coming days with local flooding and thunder on the cards.

After good weather earlier in the week, hopes were high that the sun would stay out for the long weekend. Sadly, it looks like a mixed bag ahead for those with plans for the Bank Holiday. 

However, it'll become fresher for the rest of next week, with temperatures around average for the time of year, and while there'll be some showers or rain at times, there'll be nothing too impactful with a good lot of dry weather overall too and some sunshine.

Friday

While there'll be some bright spells this morning in eastern parts, it'll be cloudy in general, but with mostly just a little light rain and drizzle in places. However, a spell of persistent rain, turning heavy at times, moving in along the west coast, will spread eastwards across the country through the morning and afternoon. 

The rain will become lighter as it moves across eastern parts this afternoon, while at the same time a clearance to mainly dry weather with sunshine will move into western areas. The clearance will then follow to all parts, reaching the east coast during the evening. Highest temperatures 17 to 23 degrees, warmest in the east, but turning fresher as the rain clears. Breezy for a time with moderate to fresh and gusty southerly winds, veering westerly as the rain clears and moderating.

Friday night

It'll be largely dry tonight with long clear spells and just a few showers in western and northwestern coastal areas. Cooler and fresher than preceding nights with lowest temperatures generally of 8 to 12 degrees in light to moderate southwest breezes.

Saturday

Saturday will be a bright day with good spells of sunshine and while there'll be a lot of dry weather, there'll be a scattering of showers too, especially for the north and west. Highest temperatures of 16 to 19 or 20 degrees in mostly moderate southwest to west winds, fresher at times in western coastal parts.

Largely dry early on Saturday night with clear spells but cloud will thicken from the west, with some patchy outbreaks of light rain and drizzle spreading eastwards overnight, though it'll likely hold mostly dry in the east and south. Lowest temperatures of 10 to 14 degrees in mostly light to moderate southwest winds, but increasing moderate to fresh along the west coast later.

Sunday

Some bright spells are possible in the east and south, though in general it'll be cloudy on Sunday morning, but dry for most apart from a little patchy light rain and drizzle. However, heavy and persistent rain will move in along the west coast by the early afternoon, spreading to most parts through the afternoon and evening, though some southeastern parts may escape largely dry. Localised flooding is possible, especially across parts of Connacht, and possibly west Munster. Highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees and its going to be a blustery day with mostly fresh and gusty southerly winds, the winds strong and gusty in coastal parts of the west and south.

There'll be further spells of very heavy rain, thundery in places, on Sunday night with the continued chance of spot flooding. A clearance may start to move into parts of the northwest and west later in the night. Humid with lowest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees in fresh to strong and gusty southerly winds, starting to ease overnight.

August Bank Holiday Monday

It'll be mostly cloudy at first on Monday, with further spells of heavy possibly thundery rain, especially across the midlands, east and southeast. While there's some uncertainty as regards how fast the rain will clear, it looks like a clearance to mainly dry, bright weather will have moved into the northwest and west by the early morning and will then extend to most places through the morning and afternoon. However the rain may linger in parts of the east and south for much, if not all of the day. Humid with the rain, but it'll turn fresher in the clearance, with highest temperatures of 18 to 22 degrees in mostly moderate, occasionally fresh, southwest winds, veering westerly.