Cold snap predicted for Easter Sunday

Met Éireann are predicting a dry and settled start to the Easter weekend, but turning much colder on Easter Sunday with wintry precipitation in places.

Today, Good Friday, will be dry with good spells of sunshine, with highest temperatures of 12 to 16 degrees for much of the country.

Tonight will be cold and dry with long clear spells. Some mist and fog will form in near calm conditions, mainly in the midlands. Frost will develop as temperatures fall to between -2 and +2 degrees.

Any mist or fog will clear Saturday morning for a dry day with good sunshine. Highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees with mostly light east to northeast breezes.

Saturday night will be dry with clear spells, and some patches of mist and fog. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees.

Easter Sunday will be dry over much of the country with the best of the sunshine in the south. It will be cloudier further north. Light rain or drizzle will develop in the northwest during the afternoon and spread southwards through the evening. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees.

On Sunday night, very cold air will move down from the north with fresh north to northwest winds. Some wintry showers may develop overnight on north facing coasts. Lowest temperatures of -2 to +2 degrees with frost in places,

Easter Monday will be cold and breezy with sunny spells and scattered wintry showers, these mainly over the northern half of the country. Highest temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees with fresh, gusty northerly winds. On Monday night, scattered wintry showers will continue. Frost and icy patches will develop as temperatures fall to between -2 and +2 degrees.

Tuesday will continue cold with sunny spells and scattered showers, some wintry. Highest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees with light to moderate west to northwest winds.