The weekend weather forecast does not make for pretty reading

G R I M.

It hasn't been great on the old weather front lately, has it? We braved Storm Ciara at the weekend and now there's the impending arrival of Storm Dennis to deal with. It never rains, etc. As of Thursday, the weekend is looking fairly rough. But we'll start with today, sure. Thursday (13 February) should have some general scattered showers before a dry afternoon with sunny spells comes into focus, according to the latest from Met Éireann. Highest temperatures of 5 to 6 degrees will be found in the north in contrast to up to 8 to 9 degrees in the south. By the time night falls, expect some mist and fog patches alongside temperatures dropping to between -2 and 0 degrees in the north and between 1 and 3 degrees in the south. Onto Friday aka Valentine's Day. Will it be a romantic one, weather-wise? If a mix of sunshine and scattered showers with "afternoon highs of 9 and 11 degrees" makes your heart race, then yes. Friday night, however, will switch from dry conditions to ominous clouds and outbreaks of rain, with that rainfall turning heavy on the west coast by Saturday morning. Storm Dennis will make its presence felt around about then, bringing "a wet and windy day" according to the Met Éireann team, with widespread heavy rain resulting in a risk of flooding. Temperatures during Saturday will reach between 7 and 11 degrees, falling overnight to between 1 and 3 degrees. Expect showers throughout the night, too. Sunday will be similarly blustery, with a strong southwest-to-west wind making an impact. A cold day in general with maximum of temperatures of 4 or 5 degrees on the horizon with wintry showers along western coastal areas for company. Later on, things will take a slightly more dramatic turn with a spell of persistent rain or sleet and "occasional snow" on hills and mountains passing from west to east. As for next week, the early outlook indicates another windy and showery day in the west on Monday, while the rest will at least enjoy the odd sunny spell. Generally, a windy and breezy stretch of days ahead. Get in. No, literally, stay indoors.