After a cold start to the week which will see rain and snow, spring looks set to arrive towards the second half of the week, according to Met Eireann.

After rain clears this morning, Monday, today is promised to be mainly dry with sunny spells with just the odd wintry shower.

Highest temperatures will range between 6 and 8 degrees with mostly moderate northwest winds, which will back southwest later in the day.

Cloud will build along western coasts again this evening which will bring outbreaks of rain and sleet eastwards over the country.

As has been the norm over the past number of months, drying conditions are unlikely to change from being poor this week.

There will be limited opportunities for spraying also this week.

This rain and sleet will clear eastwards by tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

Tonight, lowest temperatures will range from minus 1 in the east early in the night to plus 3 degrees in the west according to Met Eireann.

Looking to tomorrow, Tuesday, it will be largely dry in the morning with just isolated showers which will mainly be confined to the north.

However, it’s forecast to become more cloudy and the showers are to become more frequent and widespread in the afternoon.

Thicker cloud and rain is promised to develop towards Tuesday evening on the west coast as highest temperatures range between 7 and 10 degrees.

Met Eireann has forecast that a rapidly developing area of low pressure is expected to pass directly over the country on Tuesday night.

Early in the night, light and variable winds over land are promised to give way to developing strong northwesterly winds as this area of low-pressure moves eastwards.

Winds off the south coast are likely to be strong gale force and from a southwesterly direction.

Along with the strong winds will come heavy and persistent rain overnight, which Met Eireann has said will turn to sleet and snow later in the night as it clears away eastwards.

Temperatures overnight on Tuesday will range between zero and plus 2 degrees.

Moving to Wednesday, the last of any lingering rain in the east is promised to clear quickly in the morning and it will become mostly dry with sunny spells and just isolated showers on the coasts of the west and north.

The fresh to strong northwest winds are to ease and back westerly during the day and temperatures will reach between 7 and 10 degrees in the afternoon.

Overall rainfall this week should be below normal and Met Eireann has said that field conditions should stabilise and may improve slightly in some areas.

Looking to Thursday, Met Eireann has forecast that it will be mainly dry too although again there may be a few showers on coasts.

Spring looks set to arrive towards the end of the week, as temperatures start to slowly recover to closer to normal values for the time of year.

Current indications suggest that there’ll be little change for Friday, but as winds back southwest to south it is expected to get a little milder.

This recovery to milder conditions continues through the weekend with somewhat settled conditions and southwesterly winds developing.