WEATHER: All change next week for Derry & Donegal as beautiful sunshine replaced by cold spell

Temperatures today, Friday, are expected to climb once more into the high teens by late afternoon and possibly hit 20 degrees Celsius across Derry, Tyrone and Donegal with clear skies and sunshine.

And it’s shaping up to be a lovely weekend too with similar conditions expected on Saturday when temperatures in Derry according to the Met Office are expected to reach 18 degrees Celsius with more dry weather and just a bit of cloud but plenty of sunshine too. Met Éireann is forecasting similar conditions for Inishowen.

It will be slightly cooler come Sunday but still very pleasant with temperatures reaching 16 degrees across the north west and more sunshine with some cloud expected and remaining dry.

The weather begins to turn gradually from the start of the working week, as temperatures drop back down to around average for the time of year with more cloud expected in Derry and the potential for some showers across the wider region.

Temperatures fall back further throughout the week and by Friday, at this stage, it looks like they will be down to around 4 degrees Celsius by night and struggling to reach 10 degrees by day in Derry, while Met Éireannis forecasting even colder conditions down to 2 degrees by night next weekend.

In its overall forecast, the Met Office is predicting the colder conditions will continue from next week through to the end of the month:

"A transition to a generally more unsettled, mobile westerly pattern is most likely by midweek and beyond, with spells of wind and rain moving into many areas, but more especially in the south.

"Towards the end of the week, much cooler, showery conditions are expected for many parts with the north and west likely being a focus for these showers.”

So, enjoy it while it lasts and if you are have plans to get the grass cut or go on an outing, the next few days looks like your best option before the more unsettled weather returns.