After heavy spells of rain in the west last Monday, the weather settled down and rainfall was well below normal for the rest of the week. Despite the dry conditions forecast for this week, it will be colder.

Monday is looking like another dry and settled day. It will be mostly cloudy but there will be sunny spells too. Temperatures will range from 9°C to 11°C.

For Tuesday, it will be much of the same again. It will be cloudy but dry for most, but there is a risk of a shower in the northern half of the country in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures will range from 10°C to 14°C.

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Wednesday will be another fresh day, with most of the country remaining dry. There is the risk of cloud building to some patchy rain in places, but volumes are expected to be small. Temperatures will reach highs of 12°C but will drop as low as 2°C to 6°C at night, which could result in some ground frost.

Early indications for Thursday, on to Friday and into the weekend, is for continued dry weather, with warmer conditions at the weekend.

Farming forecast

Rainfall

Despite the heavy rain which fell in the western half of the country last Monday, the week was still drier than normal. The coming seven days will be more of the same in terms of dry weather.

Met Éireann is forecasting rainfall amounts of between 5% and 60% of the weekly average for the time of year. Any real rain will be in the west and northwest, but it will still be drier than normal.

Temperatures

It has been feeling cold, but soil temperatures are running 2°C to 3°C above the average so grass is ticking away all the time. The coming week will see temperatures run slightly below the normal rates for the time of year.

Temperatures are unlikely to creep above 14°C at any stage this week.

Field conditions

Even the wettest fields are soaking out well. The west will see any of the rain this week which will set back the trafficability of the heavy soils but overall things are looking pretty OK.