Mainly dry and sunny day but remaining cold

Weather update from Met Éireann

After a frosty start, this morning will be sunny with mainly dry weather overall. Cloud will build a little in the afternoon and there'll be scattered showers of rain, hail and sleet, with a possibility of some snow on hills and mountains. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees, lowest in Ulster, and feeling cold in a moderate to fresh northerly winds.

There will be a few showers in coastal areas of the north and east tonight and some may be of a wintry nature, but most of the country will be dry with long clear spells. A widespread frost is expected with lowest temperatures between minus 3 to plus 1 degrees in light northerly breezes.

Friday will be a dry day for most of the country, after a cold sunny morning, cloud will increase from the north through the day with outbreaks of rain extending into the north and northeast during the late afternoon and early evening. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees, in light to moderate northerly winds.

On Friday night outbreaks of rain will affect east and northeast counties and may turn to sleet at times over higher ground, becoming more widespread towards morning. Lowest temperatures of zero to plus 2 degrees, coldest in Munster where under clearer skies there may be a touch of frost locally, while cloud cover should keep temperatures higher elsewhere, in moderate northwest winds.

Rather cloudy on Saturday with showers mixed with sunny spells, the best of the sunny spells will be across Ulster in the afternoon and evening. Highest afternoon temperatures 7 to 10 degrees in light northerly breezes.

Showers will become isolated on Saturday night as most of the country becomes dry with clear spells. Frost will form in parts the southeast where it will be coldest with lowest temperatures of zero to minus 2 degrees.

Sunday will be mainly dry with sunny spells and isolated showers in the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees in light northerly winds.

Becoming cloudier overnight Sunday night with rain extending into the north and east towards morning. Lowest temperatures of 1 to 4 degrees rising later in the night as winds back southwesterly overnight.

Current indications suggest westerly winds will bring a more unsettled spell of weather with rain or showers at times and temperatures closer to the seasonal average of 11 or 12 degrees in the afternoon.