Wintry showers, frost and below freezing temperatures in store this weekend

This weekend is set to bring a mixture of wintry showers, frost and below freezing temperatures, according to Met Eireann.

This morning, Friday, will be cold and frosty – with temperatures expected to reach between 3º and 6º throughout the day.

Good sunshine is forecast for many places, but wintry showers of rain, hail, sleet and snow are also likely. Light north-west winds will become blustery around exposed coasts.

Wintry showers are set to become confined to western and northern counties tonight, with clear skies across the bulk of the country. It is expected to be cold and windy, with temperatures to drop to as low as -1º. Frost will develop in spite of the wind, Met Eireann added.

Drying conditions over the next few days will be reasonable at times away from wintry showers, despite the low temperatures. But there will only be limited opportunities for spraying.

At present, most soils are close to saturation at the moment – with poorly drained soils waterlogged. A very slight improvement is possible over the next few days.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, is forecast to be cold and windy. Further wintry showers are expected, mainly in the north and west, with temperatures set to range from 4º to 6º.

Northwesterly winds are expected to be fresh or strong and gusty. Conditions tomorrow night are set to be cold and frosty, but mainly dry.

Outlook

It is forecast to remain cold with low temperatures and fresh southwesterly winds for most of the day on Sunday.

By evening, however, increasing cloud will have brought temperatures up to about 8º to 10º. Patchy rain or drizzle will also have spread eastwards at that stage, according to Met Eireann.

No frost is expected on Sunday night, as heavier rain is set to extend across the country from the west.

Early indications suggest that Monday will be another cold windy day, with low temperatures in gusty north-west winds.

There will be a danger of showers over the west and north of the country; many eastern and southern counties will remain dry and bright for the day. Frost is set to return on Monday night.