Heavy rain to worsen in parts of country but expected to clear by Friday

Met Éireann has said there will likely be heavy rain and some isolated thunder and hail storms on Thursday, with the worst of the bad weather to clear by Friday.

The national forecaster said rain showers will get heavier as Thursday goes on, particularly in the west of the country.

The day is set to be windy and blustery as well, with strong gusts along the southern coast of the country. Higher temperatures will be between nine and 13 degrees, Met Éireann said.

The weather will be clear on Thursday night with only scattered rain showers. It will stay breezy along the south coast, with temperatures hitting lows of two degrees.

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Met Éireann has said Friday will be sunnier although there are some scattered showers expected earlier in the day. Towards the afternoon rain will be mostly limited to counties in Ulster.

The outlook for the weekend is for unsettled weather over Saturday and Sunday, with outbreaks of rain.

The forecaster said Saturday is due to be a dull and damp day, with persistent rain in the south of the country. The rain showers are expected to get heavier in some areas that evening, with temperatures due to be between 12 and 15 degrees.

The rain is expected to clear during the night, with the forecaster adding some rain showers may linger along the Atlantic coast.

Sunday is due to be a better day with more dry and bright spells. The forecast said some rain showers will persist in counties along the Atlantic coast. Temperatures are due to be between nine and 13 degrees.

Early next week will likely also be a mix of clear spells and showers, in advance of more settled conditions in the middle of the week.