Wet, windy with some bright spells over bank holiday weekend

Participants in the 2015 SSE Airtricity Dublin Marathon should prepare for wet and windy conditions on Monday as they set out to complete the 26-mile (42 km) race across the capital.

Clouds and windy weather are expected over Dublin on the bank holiday Monday, with rain spreading from the west and becoming more widespread later in the day. Temperatures for the marathon will reach between 13 and 14 degrees.

The south and west of the country will face the worst of the weather on Monday, with winds on Sunday night turning gale force the following morning.

Athletes in training for the marathon will be faced with rain showers throughout the weekend. Heavy and possibly thundery rainfall is expected on Saturday, particularly in the west and northwest.

However, conditions will also be bright, fresh and blustery, with sunny spells in parts of the country on Saturday and temperatures reaching 9 to 13 degrees. Saturday evening will be dry but cool, with temperatures dropping to 5 degrees.

Bright spells

The forecast for Sunday is for mostly dry weather in the east and south with some bright spells. However, there will be rain in western and northern parts of the country.

It will become windy overnight on Sunday, with strong winds continuing into Monday.

People travelling abroad this bank holiday weekend should arrive at airports with extra time, given the large numbers seeking to fly out.

Almost 300,000 passengers are expected to pass through Dublin Airport between Friday and Monday - up 10 per cent on the same weekend last year. More than 2,100 flights are due to arrive and depart from Dublin Airport over the weekend.

Knock Airport is also expecting a surge in numbers over the bank holiday, with more than 15,000 passengers due to pass through, up 15 per cent on last year.

Passengers travelling abroad (and athletes taking part in Monday’s marathon) are reminded that the clocks will go back one hour over the weekend as winter time begins.

Clocks will be set back at 1am on Sunday, October 25th.

Are you running in the Dublin City Marathon on Monday? We’d like to hear from participants in the race, please get in touch at newsdesk@irishtimes.com.

Marathon route and traffic restrictions

Participants in the marathon will begin at Fitzwilliam Place and run via St Stephen's Green South, the Coombe, Essex Quay, Usher's Island, the Phoenix Park, Inchicore Road, Crumlin Road, Templeogue Road, Clonskeagh Road, Merrion Road and Mount Street Lower before making their way to the finish line at Merrion Square.

Merrion Square North will be closed to traffic from 6am on Sunday to 9pm on Monday, while Merrion Square South will close from 6am on Monday to 8pm that evening.

Road closures will also be in place from early on Monday morning along the marathon route. Roads will reopen throughout the day.