A wet start, but slight improvement in weather as weekend goes on

Weather conditions over the coming days will be very mixed, with a damp start to the August bank holiday weekend followed by a slight improvement on Sunday and Monday.

For those sensitive to pollen, Met Eireann has noted that the pollen count will be "moderate to high" today (Friday) and tomorrow.

Today will be the warmest of the coming days, but it will also see outbreaks of rain spreading across the country from the west during the daytime, and these will be heavy on occasion.

Later in the day it will become brighter and fresher, with a mix of sunny interludes and showers.

There will be showers throughout the day on Saturday, particularly in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will be cooler, with highs of 15 to 19 degrees expected in light to moderate breezes.

Temperatures will be similar on Sunday, which looks like it will be a cloudy but mostly dry day in the Midlands. Monday, then, will be dry almost everywhere, with some sunshine in the morning before cloud develops later in the day.

Unfortunately there are no signs at the moment of an outbreak of dry and settled weather, as next week is also looking mixed, with Tuesday in particular having the potential to bring some heavy rainfall.