According to Met Éireann, the weekend ahead will be mostly dry but you will need your hat and gloves.

This Friday, however, will be mainly showery with sunny spells. Showers will be heavy with the risk of thundery downpours, especially in the west and north, and some showers could turn wintry on higher ground. Top temperatures of 4°C to 8°C in blustery west to northwesterly winds.

Conditions will turn drier over the weekend, although temperatures will drop.

Saturday will be mostly dry with some sunny spells as heavy showers become isolated and confined to western and northern coastal areas. But there is still the risk of wintry falls during the morning.

Cloud will increase later in the south, with outbreaks of rain affecting southern coastal counties by evening. Top temperatures will be just 4°C to 7°C degrees in light to moderate southwesterly winds.

Saturday night will be mostly dry with isolated showers near northwestern and northern coasts. It will be very cold, with lowest temperatures falling to between -3°C to +1°C with widespread frost.

During Sunday morning, outbreaks of rain or sleet will clear to the east and it will be mostly dry with sunny spells. However, some showers will continue to affect western and northern coastal counties, with the risk of turning wintry on higher ground. Staying cold with top temperatures of 4°C to 7°C in a mainly moderate northwesterly breeze, fresh near coasts.

Sunday night there will be scattered showers with good clear spells and some showers will turn wintry on higher ground. Lowest temperatures will be again around -3° to +1° with a widespread frost and some mist or fog forming as northwest to westerly winds fall light.

The early days of next week will remain cold with scattered showers and good sunny spells. Some showers will turn wintry over higher ground as top temperatures stay around 5°C to 8°C. Showers will become more isolated, however, on Tuesday as drier conditions dominate.

Management notes

In beef management this week, Adam Woods advises not to leave it until the last minute when preparing for your Bord Bia Quality insurance inspection.

In dairy management, Aidan Brennan looks at the steps involved in tubing cows, while in tillage management Andy Doyle says wet conditions and the drop in temperatures could trigger a rise in activity by a range of pests.

In sheep management, Darren Carty covers the Department’s liver fluke forecast, rumen fluke and ration formulation for finishing lambs.

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