Weather: Showery day with risk of hail

Scattered showers and sunny spells to start today. However, showers will become more frequent and blustery early in the afternoon. Some showers will be heavy with the risk of hail. Feeling cold in fresh and gusty westerly winds and highest temperatures of just 5 or 6 degrees.

Mainly cloudy tonight with scattered showers. Some showers will be heavy and thundery with a risk of hail, and will turn increasingly wintry. Cold with lowest temperatures of 0 to +2 degrees in moderate southwest winds.

A very cold day tomorrow with scattered heavy showers and sunny spells. There will be a risk of hail and thunder and some showers will fall as sleet, particularly on high ground. Temperatures will reach just 2 or 3 degrees in a light to moderate westerly breeze.

It will remain cold through to the early days of next week. Blustery showers to start, becoming wintry at times. Drier and brighter spells will develop over the weekend.

On Thursday night, Wintry showers will persist in western coastal areas on Thursday night. It will be drier elsewhere with clear spells and a sharp ground frost leading to some icy patches. Very cold with lowest temperatures of +1 to -4 degrees, coldest across Leinster and Munster.

Friday will be another cold day. A dry and bright start in many areas but showers will continue in western coastal areas, some heavy and wintry with the risk of hail. Cloud will build across the north and east through the evening, bringing further widespread wintry showers. Afternoon temperatures of 4 to 6 degrees with fresh northwesterly winds bringing an added wind chill factor.

Friday night will bring further showers, most frequent along coasts. Elsewhere will become drier overnight with clear spells. Not quite as cold as Thursday night with lowest temperatures of 3 to 5 degrees but windy with fresh to strong and gusty northwest winds.

Saturday is forecast to be dry and bright in many areas with showers mainly confined to coastal areas. Breezy to start with moderate to fresh northwest winds, but winds will ease light to moderate through the day. Highest temperatures of 6 to 8 degrees.

Some lingering showers in coastal areas on Saturday night but mainly dry with clear skies. A cold night with lowest temperatures of +3 to -2 degrees, coldest over Ulster and north Leinster with frost forming. Mist and fog will develop also in a light northwesterly breeze.

Current indications are that Sunday will be another largely dry day with sunny spells and just isolated showers along coasts. A cold day with afternoon temperatures of 3 to 7 degrees, coolest over Ulster and Leinster with a light northwesterly or variable breeze. Continuing cold on Sunday night with temperatures dropping to between 0 and -3 degrees with widespread frost forming. Mist and fog will develop also in a light northerly breeze.

FURTHER OUTLOOK: Remaining cold into the early days of next week, with further showers or longer spells of rain.