First look at Met Éireann's weekend weather forecast and it's not good news

Met Éireann has issued its full weather forecast for Ireland this weekend and it makes for grim reading after the sunshine of last week.

The national forecaster has already issued a weather warning for Thursday in Dublin, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, alerting residents there to "rain, heavy at times, coupled with gusty winds, strongest near the coasts and on higher ground."

The warning is in place until 8pm on Thursday with people also warned of the risk of spot flooding and disruption to travel.

Their outlook beyond that warns of "rather mixed weather over the next few days and quite cold too for this time of year."

They say Thursday "will be dull and wet as rain in the northeast and east extends across most of the country. The rain will be heavy at times, particularly in eastern parts of Leinster, and may cause spot flooding. It will become windy with fresh to strong and gusty northerly winds, strongest on Irish Sea coasts. Highest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees.

"The heavy and persistent rain will gradually clear southwards through the evening but it will remain rather cloudy. Fresh to strong and gusty northerly winds will gradually ease too with lowest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees.

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"A rather cloudy start with a good scattering of showers drifting down from the north [on Friday]. Some sunny spells will develop later in the afternoon as the northerly breeze weakens. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees.

"Rather cool with a fresh northerly breeze [on Friday night]. Quite cloudy too with a few showers drifting down over the country but it should stay mostly dry across the southern half of the country. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees."

Looking to the weekend, Met Éireann predict Saturday will be "a mostly dry day then with scattered cloud and good sunny spells at times too especially in the south and east. A few isolated showers will develop over Connacht and Ulster at times. Westerly winds will fall light later in the day with highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees.

"Cloud will thicken early [on Sunday] in the day with outbreaks of rain developing across parts of the southwest too. More persistent rain will move over from the west later in the morning as southerly winds increase fresh to strong and gusty. Winds will increase to very strong at times along the west coast later in the afternoon with some heavy falls of rain spreading throughout the country. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees."

Next week isn't looking any better with Met Éireann's latest forecast concluding: "Looking ahead, current models indicate another very unsettled day with heavy rain at times and very strong and gusty winds throughout. Temperatures likely to be in the mid-teens."