Cold, bright, fresh day with sunny spells and some showers

Today will be a cold, bright, fresh day with sunny spells and scattered showers of rain or hail. The showers will be most frequent over the western half of the country and Ulster. They will become confined mainly to Ulster this evening. Highest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees with moderate to fresh, gusty west to northwest winds.

Tonight will start off cold with lowest temperatures of 0 to 3 degrees and some frost for a time in parts of Leinster and Ulster. Outbreaks of rain or drizzle will move eastwards across the country overnight with southerly winds freshening and temperatures increasing.

Saturday will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain, which will be heavy at times over the northern half of the country. Drier, clearer weather will follow from the northwest through the evening. It will be noticeably milder with highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees and moderate to fresh southwest breezes.

Early on Saturday night, rain and drizzle will become confined to southern coastal areas. There will be some clear spells over the northern half of the country. Rain in the south will move northwards over Munster towards morning. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees with light westerly breezes backing southerly.

On Sunday morning rain and drizzle will spread northwards. The rest of the day will be mostly cloudy and breezy with patchy outbreaks of rain in most areas, heaviest west. It will be mild with afternoon temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees and fresh, gusty southerly winds, strong along the west coast. Through the evening, rain will clear eastwards and Sunday night it will become mainly dry and cold with lowest temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees.

Monday will be mainly dry with the best of any sunny spells in Connacht and Ulster. It will be cloudier in Leinster and Munster. There may be some rain or drizzle at times in eastern and southern parts. Turning cooler with afternoon temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees and light and variable breezes.

On Tuesday, rain is expected to spread eastwards across the country and will be heavy at times in Connacht and Ulster. Highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees with fresh, gusty southerly winds.

There will be further spells of rain at times on Wednesday and Thursday.