Colder, wet weather forecast for Ireland this week, so make the most of the sunshine

People should make the best of any sun they see over the next couple of days as colder, wetter weather will spread across much of the country as the week progresses, Met Éireann has warned.

Much of the country will bask in warm sunshine for most of Sunday – with the exception of some pockets of Leinster and Munster where some showers will develop with spot flooding, lightning and hail possible.

Elsewhere, it will be warm and humid with light northerly or variable breeze and temperatures of between 18-23 degrees, proving to be a little cooler along the north coast

Sunday night will be dry with clear spells. There will be a few patches of mist or fog, while showers across parts of Leinster and Munster should clear up.

Monday morning will be mainly dry with sunny spells but more showers will develop in the afternoon and evening, heaviest and most frequent in Ulster, Connacht and west Munster with thunderstorms, spot flooding and hail possible.

Temperatures will remain high, between 19-23 degrees with light easterly or variable breezes.

However, it will be a different story for the rest of the week with temperatures set to drop significantly and hard rains likely to fall across much of the country.

On Tuesday morning, scattered showers will develop and they will become widespread and heavy during the afternoon with spot flooding, lightning and hail possible. Winds will be light and variable with highest temperatures of 16-19 degrees.

Wednesday will bring a mix of sunshine and showers, some possibly heavy. It will be cooler, with highest temperatures between 14-18 degrees in light to moderate west to northwest winds.

Thursday is forecast to be mainly dry over the western half of the country but persistent rain will hit eastern counties and gradually spread westwards later. Meanwhile, temperatures will fall again, struggling to reach 15 degrees with moderate to fresh northerly winds.

Current indications suggest that Friday will bring showers or longer spells of rain with some brighter intervals possible. The unsettled weather looks set to continue next weekend with rain at times.