There will be a sustained period of unsettled, windy and at times wintry weather this weekend, Met Éireann has warned.
The forecaster says a "highly mobile Atlantic regime" looks set to dominate our weather pattern through this weekend and the coming week.
Some parts of the country will see showers of hail, sleet and snow.
"A very strong jet stream will help to push some vigorous and potentially disruptive Atlantic weather systems over Ireland during the period," said meteorologist Liz Walsh.
"There is certainly potential for warnings to be issued over the coming days, so please do stay up to date with the Met Éireann forecast."
There will be strong and blustery winds from Saturday through to at least Wednesday, with frequent gales at sea. Sea conditions will be very rough and there will be exceptionally high seas and swell in Atlantic coastal regions at times.
Tonight will be cloudy and blustery with clear spells and occasional showers. Some showers may turn wintry with falls of hail and sleet, especially on high ground.
Tomorrow will be a bright breezy day with good dry and bright spells during the morning. Scattered showers will occur too. The showers will merge to a spell of heavy rain across Munster and south Leinster during the afternoon and evening.
Saturday night will be cold with showery rain, merging into longer spells of rain at times. However, rain will turn to sleet and snow in the northwest and north and over higher ground. There is also the risk of some hail.
Sunday will be a very cold day with sunny spells and scattered showers. Over the northern half of the country showers will be wintry with the risk of hail. There will be fresh, gusty westerly winds, strong in coastal areas.
On Sunday night scattered showers will become confined to the west and north with some turning wintry, especially over higher ground. But elsewhere showers will become isolated with good clear spells. It will be cold with frost and icy patches.
The temperature will rise on Monday. It will be mostly dry apart from a few spots of drizzle. It will become dull or cloudy with patchy rain and drizzle affecting Atlantic coastal counties by evening and quickly spreading eastwards later in the evening and early in the night.
The rain will become persistent and heavy on Monday night and clear southeastwards to scattered showers.
Tuesday will be windy with widespread heavy showers, some of hail with a risk of thunder. Strong, gusty westerly winds, reaching gale force along western coasts, are likely. It will continue very windy and showery on Tuesday night and on Wednesday.
Thursday will be mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain and not as cold with top temperatures likely to be around 8 to 11 degrees.
Current indications suggest that showers or showery rain will continue and possibly turn colder over the bank holiday weekend.
