A Status Yellow Warning for ice is currently in place for all of Ireland and Northern Ireland, setting the tone for what is looking to to be a generally unsettled weekend with rain or showers.
The ice warning applies to all counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It came into effect at 3:00a.m this morning (Friday, February 4) and will remain in place until 10:00a.m.
Some stretches of ice in some spots are expected this morning. It will be a cold, bright and blustery day with some sunny spells and scattered showers, Met Éireann said in its latest forecast.
Some of the showers will be wintry with a possibility of hail and thunder. Maximum afternoon temperatures will generally range from 4° to 7° in brisk west to northwest winds.
Showers will become isolated early tonight with frost forming in some areas as temperatures dip back to between zero and +4°. However, cloud will increase from the west overnight and temperatures will rise. Outbreaks of rain will then develop in the west and north of the country.
Tomorrow (Saturday, February 5) looks set to be a rather cloudy and wet day with outbreaks of rain. The rain will be most persistent in the west and north of the country, with the best of any dry or bright interludes in the east and south.
Maximum temperatures will be of 8° to 11° in strong west or southwest winds along with gales on exposed coasts.
Outbreaks of rain will continue overnight, gradually pushing south over the country, allowing colder and showery conditions to move in across northern counties. There will be a contrast in overnight temperatures from north to south, ranging from 2° or 3° in Ulster to 9° or 10° along the south coast. There will be fresh and gusty westerly winds.
Sunday (February 6) looks set to be a chilly and blustery day with widespread showers and some sunny spells. A few hail or sleet showers will occur over hills in the north. Highest temperatures will be of 6° to 9° in fresh westerly winds.
There will be a few showers early on Sunday night along with rather chilly conditions, initially with lows of 1° to 4°. However, cloudier and milder conditions with scattered outbreaks of rain will move across the country later in the night.
Monday (February 7) is expected to be a mild and breezy day with plenty of cloud and some patches of drizzle. There’ll be bright spells also, especially across the east of the country.
Maximum temperatures on Monday will be 11° to 14° in strong southwest winds. Persistent rain will develop in the west and north overnight, with drier conditions elsewhere. It will be a mild night, with lows of 10° to 12°.
Early indications suggest Tuesday (February 8) will be another mild and breezy day. There will be lots of dry weather in most areas but rain will affect some western and northern counties at times. Highest temperatures should be 10° to 13° in strong southwest winds.