Following on from a chaotic bank holiday weekend of snow and ice, the country is in for a week of unsettled weather, according to Met Eireann.

This morning frost will soon clear and it will be a dry and sunny day. Top temperatures will reach around 7° or 8° in light variable or northwesterly breezes, the meteorological office reports.

Tonight will be mostly dry with clear spells in the east, but cloud will increase from the west with outbreaks of rain and drizzle affecting mostly the north-west by morning.

Lowest temperatures will fall to between 0° and -3° with frost away from northwestern coastal counties. Light variable winds will become southerly and increase moderate along Atlantic coasts.

Fairly good drying conditions are expected today, with lots of sunshine and moderate variable breezes. It will turn rather unsettled tomorrow and later in the week, especially in the west and north-west, but still some drying possible across the east and southeast.

There will be opportunities for spraying today but conditions will be wet and breezy at times later in the week.

Field conditions are poor at the moment for most parts of the country. Decent drying is expected today but a return to wet conditions by mid-week will bring little further improvement, Met Eireann says.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow (Wednesday, March 21) will be a cloudy day with outbreaks of rain and drizzle in the north-west spreading eastwards during the morning but staying mostly dry further south with just patchy drizzle here.

West to south-west winds will be moderate but fresh at times and afternoon temperatures will rise to around 9° to 11°.

Tomorrow night will become mostly dry with some clear spells but staying cloudier with patchy rain or drizzle in northern areas early in the night, according to Met Eireann.

Towards morning it will become cloudier again from the west with rain by morning South-west winds will be light to moderate keeping lowest temperatures around 2° to 6°.

Outlook

Thursday will be cloudy and breezy day but it will start mostly dry in the east as spell of persistent rain in the west will slowly spread eastwards during the afternoon in freshening southerly winds.

Top temperatures will be around 8° to 10°. The rain could turn heavy for a time on Thursday night before clearing to scattered showers later in the night.

Fresh and gusty southerly winds will moderate veer southwesterly with the clearance. Lowest temperatures will remain around 2° to 6°.