Met Éireann has forecast that Friday will be cloudy with rain in the southwest, which will slowly move northeast across the country through the day, turning to sleet or snow on high ground.

Highest temperatures of 5°C generally, but not as cold in the southwest and moderate to fresh east to southeast winds will develop.

The evening is expected to be quite overcast, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle.

It won’t feel as cold as previous nights, but lowest temperatures of 0°C to 4°C can still be expected with light winds.

Saturday

The national forecaster announced that Saturday will stay rather cloudy, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle gradually clearing away to the north.

Some isolated bright or sunny spells will develop and it should stay dry through the afternoon, along with light southerly breezes and highs of 8°C.

Met Éireann has said that Saturday will have a cloudy night overall, but it will be mostly dry too.

There will be some patchy drizzle about western coasts, but it will be a milder night than previously too.

Lowest temperatures of 2°C to 6°C with light southerly breezes, as some mist and fog patches will form overnight, quite dense in the southwest for a time.

Sunday

The national forecaster said that Sunday will be another rather overcast day, with freshening southerly breezes.

Rain will gradually develop along western counties during the afternoon, but it should hold dry across much of the country through to the evening.

There will be highest temperatures of 8°C to 11°C.

Management notes

Beef

Adam Woods takes a look at lice issues, weanling performance and cold weather management in this week’s beef management.

Dairy

In the dairy notes, Aidan Brennan talks about farm safety in challenging weather. He also discusses managing out-wintered stock, the upcoming Irish Grassland Association conference and whether should you spread slurry or nitrogen this year.

Tillage

Siobhán Walsh notes what work farmers are doing in the snow and frost, planning crop records and what tillage events are coming up.

Sheep

In sheep, Darren Carty looks at feeding plans for late pregnancies, concerns over fodder supplies and what options there are for organic feeding.

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