Weekend weather: lows of -4°C and widespread frost

Friday

Friday morning will start off breezy with outbreaks of rain slowly clearing the east and north, leaving a chance for good sunny spells developing.

However, Met Éireann has warned that scattered showers in the west will be heavy and possibly prolonged at times. Top temperatures on Friday will range around 7°C to 9°C generally, but just 4°C to 6°C in the north.

Fresh and gusty southeasterly winds will moderate as the rain clears the east and north and elsewhere winds will be light to moderate southwesterly.

Scattered showers will hit the country on Friday night, with some turning heavy at times, but there will be good clear spells.

It will be a cold night, with lowest temperatures falling to between 0°C and 3°C and some frost forming in places.

Southerly winds will fall light, with some mist or fog patches forming.

Saturday

Mist and frost on Saturday will slowly clear, with a few showers forecast along with some bright or sunny spells.

Top temperatures will vary between 5°C to 10°C, the coolest of which will be in the northern half of the country. Winds will be light variable and northwesterly later.

Met Éireann has forecast that Saturday night will start with just a few showers and light northwesterly breezes. Later in the night, outbreaks of rain will push into Atlantic coastal counties and northwesterly breezes will increase moderate to fresh.

Lowest temperatures on Saturday night will be around 1°C to 6°C, with patchy frost in the east and north.

Sunday

Current indications for Sunday show that in the morning patchy rain will clear eastwards to just isolated showers with some good sunny spells developing.

A cool day is forecast, with top temperatures of 5°C to 8°C in a moderate northwesterly breeze.

Met Éireann has said that it will turn very cold on Sunday night under clear skies and just light variable breezes.

Lowest temperatures will fall between -4°C and 0°C with a widespread sharp frost in store.

In this week's dairy management notes, Aidan Brennan looks at where to spread slurry, costs for 2018 and what to do if going OAD.

Adam Woods takes a look at slurry, grazing and finishing cattle supplies.

Darren Carty looks at year three of the Sheep Welfare Scheme, accurate feeding levels and housing space.

In this week’s tillage management notes, good ground and overhead conditions have enabled field work to be done and the mild conditions are forcing questions on BYDV risk.