After a spell of snow and ice this week, the outlook for the weekend is much improved, with dry and sunny weather forecast.

Friday will be cold in the morning with frost in places and some icy patches. The rest of the day will be dry with plenty of sunshine throughout. Highest temperatures will range from 9°C to 13°C, feeling coolest in the east and there will be light to moderate northeasterly winds.

It will get cold again by nightfall, with frost and fog developing with minimum temperatures of +2°C to -2°C.

Saturday is to be a dry day with sunny spells and highest temperatures of 12°C to 16°C, generally in light breezes, but a cool 10°C along the Leinster coast in a moderate northeast wind.

It will be very cold again by Saturday night, with the threat of another frost. Beyond that, however, frost is less likely or at least less severe and the nights will generally be clear.

Winds generally across the country will be mostly light easterly, a little fresher at times along east and southeast coasts.

Sunday is to be another fine day, with temperatures generally 14 to 16°C. There will be light easterly breezes; cooler along the east coast and on windward slopes in a moderate easterly wind. Sunday night will stay dry, with clear spells and temperatures of 3 to 6°C.

Management notes

This week, Aidan Brennan looks at fertiliser spreading rates, solving SCC problems and preventing grass tetany in the dairy notes.

Recent growth has taken more advanced crops into stem extension and so growth regulator and nitrogen might be considered, writes Andy Doyle in the tillage notes.

Keeping on top of disease at lambing, the importance of a quarantine period for purchased sheep, management of lactating hoggets and the orf vaccine are all discussed in Darren Carty's sheep notes.

Beef editor Adam Woods covers fertiliser application on beef farms, delayed grazing and what to do about it and also a reminder on important vaccinations in breeding animals.