Weather: Wet and windy Easter bank holiday weekend ahead

That fine Spring weather of the last two weeks is set to disappear for the Easter bank holiday weekend.

Good Friday will start out dry with sunny spells, the best of which can be experienced in the east of the country, however by the afternoon, rain developing in the west coast will spread eastwards by evening.

South to southwest winds will also increase in force, possibly 70-100 km/hr by Friday night, and that combined with heavy downpours, Met Eireann are forecasting spot flooding in places. There is the potential for 20-30 mm rain overnight with heaviest falling in Connacht.

Saturday will see further showers disperse across the country, while Saturday night will turn colder, with the arrival of wintry showers along the west coast. There is a strong likelihood of frost under clearing skies in the midlands.

Easter Sunday is set to be cold and breezy with the onslaught of more wintry, or even “squally” showers, with south to southwest winds rising to about 70-100 km/hr in places.

Easter Monday fairs no better with the strong possibility of persistent rain in the south of the country.

The early days of next week will continue to be cold and unsettled.