Unsettled conditions predicted for the week ahead

Weather update from Met Éireann

We are set for a mostly cloudy or misty this morning with rain in parts of the west and north spreading eastwards. More persistent and heavier rainfall will extend from the south later this afternoon and evening. It will be a much milder day with highest daytime temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees, in moderate to fresh southerly winds, strengthening along southern coasts this evening.

Rather windy tonight with rain, heavy in places, with a chance of spot flooding especially on higher ground. Rain will clear to the north followed by widespread showers, some heavy. Fresh and gusty southwesterly winds, with gales developing along southern coasts. Mild, with lowest temperatures of 8 or 9 degrees.

Widespread showers or longer spells of rain on Monday, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms and hail in the south or east. Moderate to fresh southwest winds at first, becoming windy by evening with fresh to strong and gusty northwest winds developing. Highs of 8 to 12 degrees early on in the day, dropping back to 3 to 6 degrees in the afternoon and evening as winds turn northwesterly. Showers will turn wintry on hills in the north after dark.

March of many weathers is very true for the week ahead it will be unsettled with the Atlantic feeding in rain and showers across Ireland, turning cold and wintry in parts too, before very mild air returns later in the week.

Very cold in light to moderate northwest to west winds. There will be showers feeding from the northwest and some may fall as sleet or snow in places. Lowest temperatures of -2 to +1 degrees generally.

Remaining cold on Tuesday with highest temperatures at best, 4 to 8 degrees but in a harsh moderate to fresh northwest wind. There will be a mix of sunny spells and scattering showers, especially early in the day, and there is potential for these showers to fall as sleet or snow, especially over higher ground.

Turning very cold under mostly clear skies early in the night, temperatures will rise in the southwest as cloud increases with rain preceded by some sleet or hill snow for a time gradually pushing into the southwest and west towards morning. Lowest temperatures of -3 to +2 degrees, coolest in Ulster with light westerly or variable winds becoming southeasterly and increasing moderate towards morning.

A cold and wet day is expected on Wednesday with rain tracking up across the country from the southwest, this will be preceded by sleet and possibly some snow in places, especially over the northern half of the county. Highest temperatures of 1 to 4 degrees across the north of the country but milder in the south with afternoon highs of 5 to 9 degrees, as light southeasterly winds freshen through the day. It will get milder in the north during the evening.

Showery outbreaks of rain will continue overnight, clearing the southwest though by morning. It will turn into a much milder night generally with lows of 5 to 10 degrees, although it may start a little cooler early in the night in the northwest.

After a wet start over much of the country, the outbreaks of rain will clear the north by early afternoon with showers and some sunny spells following from the west. It will be a much milder day overall with highest temperatures 11 to 15 degrees generally in mostly moderate southwest winds.

While a lot can change between now and then, St Patricks day looks to be fairly cloudy and damp, mildest in the southern half of the country with temperatures of 10 to 14 degrees, but more typically 7 to 9 degrees in the northern in light to moderate southeast to east winds.

It looks to remain changeable then over the weekend, quite cloudy with rain at times, but generally quite mild.