Friday

Met Éireann has said that residual rain, sleet and snow in the east will quickly clear into the Irish Sea early on Friday morning, giving way to a cold and mostly dry day with sunny spells.

Highest temperatures on Friday will be of 4°C to 7°C in light variable breezes.

Friday night will be dry in many areas to begin, but with cloud gradually thickening from the southwest.

Rain in the southwest will spread northeastwards over Munster and parts of Connacht and Leinster overnight, falling as a wintry mix of sleet and snow initially.

Saturday

Rain, sleet and snow will continue to extend northeastwards over the country on Saturday morning, with transient accumulations across Connacht, Ulster and parts of Leinster, before a clearance extends from the southwest during the afternoon and evening.

Afternoon temperatures will range from 1°C to 2°C in the north to 12°C or 13°C in the southwest.

The last of the rain and sleet will clear the northeast early on Saturday night and most places will be dry with variable cloud and clear spells for a time.

Cloud will thicken countrywide later in the night and patchy rain and drizzle will develop in the western counties towards morning.

Moderate southwest winds will be fresh to strong near coasts. Minimum temperatures of 2°C to 6°C will occur early on, with temperatures ranging 4°C to 8°C overnight.

Sunday

It will become wet and windy on Sunday and rain will become widespread during the morning, before transitioning to showers in the afternoon and evening.

Afternoon highs of 10°C to 14°C in moderate to fresh and gusty southerly winds, strong near coasts.

Met Éireann has said it will be a windy night on Sunday, with showers or longer spells of rain.

There will be lows of 6°C to 9°C generally, but 4°C to 6°C in Ulster.

Management notes

Beef management

Adam Woods discusses the new replacement for BDGP, the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme, which is expected to open soon, and changing weather conditions.

Sheep management

Darren Carty says that after a period of settled weather, the forecast is presenting a challenging few days, with ewes and young lambs outdoors at particular risk.

Tillage management

Siobhán Walsh discusses how urea can offer significant savings, but farmers need to be careful when spreading it on their farm.

Dairy management

Aidan Brennan says the next few weeks are critical from a grass growth perspective and goes through fertiliser targets for March and April.