Weekend weather: showery, cold at times with some bright spells

Friday

The day will begin with some bright or sunny spells and some scattered showers, turning into longer spells of rain at times. Some showers will be wintery early in the day, but they will mostly transition to rain or hail as the day goes on. Some isolated thunderstorms are a possibility.

Temperatures will see highs of 5°C to 8°C but may feel colder with mostly fresh and gusty westerly winds, easing later in the day.

Showers will become less frequent on Friday night. With Met Éireann stating: “cloud will increase from the Atlantic overnight with patchy rain and drizzle developing in western areas”. Lowest temperatures of -1°C to +3°C.

Saturday

Saturday will begin dry in the east with spells of sunshine. However, clouds will accumulate from the west as the morning goes on, with patchy rain spreading across the country throughout the afternoon. Highest temperatures will be 7°C to 10°C in light to moderate westerly winds.

On Saturday night, winds will be southerly to southwesterly and further outbreaks of rain will extend in from the Atlantic. “The rain and drizzle will become patchier towards morning with some clear breaks developing with lowest temperatures of 3°C to 7°C,” Met Éireann has said.

Sunday

It will be a cool breezy day with some sunshine and some scattered blustery showers, turning wintery as the day goes on, with possible hail or sleet towards the north of the country. Highest temperatures will be 5°C to 10°C degrees with fresh, sometimes strong westerly winds.

Later in the day, showers will ease, becoming largely confined to Ulster with clear skies over the rest of the country. Met Éireann has said: “lowest temperatures of 3°C to 7°C degrees with moderate to fresh and gusty westerly winds backing southwest by morning.”

Monday

Mostly dry at first on Monday, however cloud will thicken and showers of rain and drizzle will move in from the Atlantic. It will be breezy with fresh to strong south to southwest winds in the afternoon. Temperatures will see highs of 10°C to 12°C.

St Patrick’s Day

There is currently some uncertainty for St Patrick’s Day, however current indications show a mostly cloudy and damp morning with rain clearing southeastwards. It is set to brighten up from the west as the day goes on. “Highest temperatures of 8°C to 11°C with light to moderate west to southwest winds.”

Beef

Martin Merrick looks at preparing for the breeding season, purchasing new stock bulls and doing the sums on dairy beef.

Dairy

Aidan Brennan urges farmers that have a lot of area grazed and where farm cover is declining to consider slowing down the round and adding in more silage, as well as choosing AI bulls and the bluetongue vaccine ahead of breeding.

Sheep

Projected nitrates production from sheep is now part of the new facility on MyAgFood.ie where farmers can track stocking rate compliance, Darren Carty says and he also looks into fertiliser application and lamb turnout.

Tillage

Siobhán Walsh discusses the many jobs tillage farmers have to do on the list at the moment including spraying left over cover crops, ploughing, getting seed and fertiliser orders in to the yard, planting beans and sends a reminder to farmers to keep an eye on grain market prices.