Temperatures will remain very low this week, bringing with it sharp or severe frost in many places, with some chance of snow in places also.
This morning (Monday, January 4) will see frost and ice in many places to start. The frost and ice will clear very slowly and will linger in some areas. Most places will be dry, with sunny spells. It will be cloudier in parts of Leinster and east Munster, with wintry showers of rain, hail, sleet or snow.
Highest temperatures will be 2° to 5° with moderate northeast winds.
Tomorrow (Tuesday, January 5) will continue very cold with frost and ice clearing very slowly and persisting in some areas. It will be dry over much of the country, with sunny spells.
Wintry showers of rain, hail, sleet and snow will continue to affect parts of Leinster and east Munster. Daytime temperatures will be just 1° to 4° with moderate north to northeast breezes.
Tuesday night will be cold with a widespread sharp or severe frost and ice in many areas. Most areas will be dry with clear spells. However, scattered wintry showers of hail, sleet or snow will affect the eastern half of Leinster. Lowest temperatures are expected to be -3° to +2°.
Cloud will increase in the northwest later on Wednesday. During the evening rain will develop in the northwest and will spread southeastwards throughout Wednesday night, falling as sleet or snow in some areas. Lowest temperatures should be -2 to +2° with frost and icy patches in many areas.
On Thursday morning (January 7), rain, sleet and snow will continue to move southwards and will clear in the afternoon with sunny spells and some wintry showers in Ulster and Connacht.
Highest temperatures will be 2° to 4° with light westerly winds becoming northwesterly. Thursday night will be cold and mainly dry with clear spells and a widespread severe frost with icy patches.
Friday (January 8) will be cold and mainly dry with sunny spells. Highest temperatures are expected to be 2° to 5° with light northerly breezes. There will be a widespread severe frost on Friday night.
In its most recent farming forecast (issued yesterday, Sunday, January 3), Met Éireann said that all soils are either saturated or waterlogged, and while no significant improvement is expected in the short term, with some very hard frosts expected ground conditions may temporarily become more favourable for light traffic over better soils.