Good drying this weekend before rain halts field work

The weekend will bring some opportunities for field work, but conditions are expected to deteriorate from early next week as unsettled weather takes hold.

Sunny spells will break through at times over the coming days, though cloud cover will increase and overall sunshine levels are likely to fall below average.

Met Éireann, in its latest farming commentary, says air temperatures are set to ease slightly but will still remain around average to 2 degrees above. Soil temperatures will also stay higher than normal.

Drying conditions will be generally good until Monday afternoon, despite the chance of isolated showers. However, from Tuesday onwards drying conditions are forecast to become poor with widespread outbreaks of rain.

Spraying opportunities will be available this weekend, supported by long dry intervals and light to moderate winds. These windows will close quickly after Monday as conditions turn wetter and less favourable.

Field conditions
All soils remain dry and trafficable, with soil moisture deficits (SMDs) ranging from 14mm to 67mm. The driest ground is in the east and south, where growth restriction is already evident. There is likely to be little change to soil conditions in the short term, but from Tuesday onwards SMDs are expected to reduce as unsettled weather arrives.

Soils in the west and southwest are currently close to saturation and will be at risk of waterlogging as rainfall increases during the week.