It’s a welcome reprieve from a week of bad weather.

But forecasters are warning that today’s sunshine is the calm before the fourth named storm of the season, currently making its way to our shores.

According to Met Éireann meteorologist Dr Rónán Darcy, Storm Dennis is forecast to track to the north of Ireland and the UK over the coming days, resulting in a grim Valentine’s weekend forecast all ’round.

“It will likely bring periods of very wet and windy weather, with some stormy conditions possible, particularly later Sunday into Monday.” Dr Darcy explained.

“Cold air is forecast to exit Canada and enter the North Atlantic Ocean over the next few days, creating a sharp temperature gradient in the atmosphere. This will result in an intensification of the jet stream, shown in the graphics below, which will direct low-pressure systems towards Ireland.”

Gales are likely in coastal areas on Saturday and forecasters believe winds could increase further on Sunday, possibly becoming stormy, with some damaging gusts possible.

Flooding issues

“We are entering into a period of transition between spring (high) tides and neap (low) tides.” added Dr Darcy.

“This means there will not be a large variation between high and low tides. The combination of high seas and strong winds or perhaps stormy conditions may increase the possibility of coastal flooding, especially along western and southern coasts due to wave transformation.

“Storm Dennis may also bring very wet conditions with localised flooding possible. River levels are elevated across much of the midlands so any heavy rainfall would cause issues here.”