Weather for the week ahead: Cold and frosty with wintry showers

After a stormy weekend, the weather is set to remain cold, showery and blustery for the coming days, according to Met Éireann.

Met Éireann has forecasted that today (Tuesday, December 29) will be cold and blustery, with bright spells and scattered showers, some with hail and a risk of wintry falls over high ground.

Showers will mainly fall across the western half of the country this morning, spreading eastwards during the afternoon. There will be highest temperatures of 4° to 7° in fresh and gusty northwest breezes.

Early tonight, showers will retreat to Atlantic coastal counties with good clear spells developing. It will turn frosty and icy early in the night, with lowest temperatures of -3° to 0°.

Soon after midnight, rain will develop in western coastal counties and extend eastwards over central and southern counties, turning to sleet and snow in some areas.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 30) will have an icy start for many. Rain, sleet and snow across the southern half of the country will clear southeastwards during the day, with bright spells and scattered wintry showers following from the northwest.

It is expected to be a very cold day with maximum temperatures generally ranging 1° to 4°, but a little less cold in southern coastal areas.

There will be clear spells and wintry showers overnight, with showers mainly confined to western and northern coastal counties. There will be widespread frost and ice with minimum temperatures of -3° to 2° in fresh northwest winds.

New Year’s Eve and Day

Thursday, New Year’s Eve, will be cold and breezy, with sunny spells and passing showers, these mainly affecting Atlantic coastal counties, with a risk of hail and thunder.

Maximum temperatures will generally range from 2° to 6°. Frost and ice will develop again on Thursday night with lowest temperatures of -3° to 2°.

Friday, New Year’s Day, will dawn cold and frosty. It will be a bright day with sunny spells, but also some passing showers, possibly wintry on high ground.

There will be maximum temperatures of 3° to 6° in moderate northerly winds. Most areas will be dry overnight, with a sharp frost and ice.

However, a few showers will affect Atlantic coastal counties and may drift onto some southeastern coastal areas.

The weekend

After a cold and icy start, Saturday will bring dry and bright weather, with crisp sunshine and just a few coastal showers.

Highest temperatures will be 3° to 6° in moderate northerly breezes.

There will be widespread frost and ice overnight with lowest temperatures of -3° to 0°. It will be mostly dry with just a few showers in coastal parts of the north and east.

Current indications suggest that Sunday will be another cold day, with sunny spells and isolated showers of rain or hail.

Drying, spraying and field conditions

Drying conditions will be poor due to generally cold and, at times, showery conditions. Although it will become less unsettled later in the week, it will still be cold and winds will be lighter, so drying is unlikely to improve.

Spraying opportunities will be limited due to generally breezy/windy showery conditions over the next few days. However, later in the week, there may be some opportunities, as winds decrease and it becomes drier.

All soils are either saturated or waterlogged, and no significant improvement is expected in the short-term. There may be possibly some improvement by the end of the week.