Today will continue mostly cloudy and dry with just a few spots of drizzle. Top temperatures of just 5°C to 8°C, coldest in the east and north. It will be breezy with fresh and gusty southeasterly winds, but strong near coasts and feeling rather cold in the wind.

Overnight, there will be fresh to strong southeasterly winds which will gradually moderate by morning. Lowest temperatures of around -1°C to +2°C in the east and north with some frost, but not as cold further south and west under cloudier skies, with minimum temperatures around 3°C or 4°C.

Tomorrow

Saturday will be cloudy at first but good sunny spells will develop in the east and north during the day. However, it will stay mostly cloudy in the southwest and west until evening. Top temperatures of just 4°C to 6°C over Leinster and Ulster, but reaching 7°C to 9°C over Munster and Connacht. Southeasterly winds will be mostly moderate.

Saturday night will be dry with good clear spells and easterly winds will be light to moderate. It will turn colder under the clear skies, with lowest temperatures falling to between -2°C and +1°C degrees and a widespread sharp frost, but a degree or so higher along southwestern coasts.

Sunday

Sunday will be a dry and sunny day. However, it will be another cold day with top temperatures of just 4°C to 7°C degrees in a light to moderate easterly breeze. Sunday night will be dry and clear in mostly light easterly breezes. Turning even colder, with lowest temperatures falling to between -3°C and 0°C with a widespread sharp to severe frost.

Monday

It will mostly likely be dry on Monday with some sunny spells, but very cold for the time of year with daytime temperatures in the low single figures inland, and around 5°C or 6°C on coasts. It will be very cold on Monday night with a severe frost and the risk of wintry showers along northern and eastern coasts in moderate northeasterly winds.

Management notes

On the dairy side, Aidan Brennan explains how to make more money in dry weather, how to prevent mastitis in freshly calved cows and asks if bull calves should be kept for longer to maximise calf price.

While many farmers are reporting that ground has never been as wet, beef editor Adam Woods was speaking to a farmer in Donegal on Tuesday night who had walked his farm at the weekend and was surprised at how dry some of his paddocks were.

This week's sheep management notes cover late pregnancy abortion, tail-docking lambs and the closing date of the current tranche of TAMS.

And, on the tillage side the prospect of little or no rain will inevitably result in a lot of field activity in the week ahead. Already, fertiliser is being spread and sprays applied. Drills will not be far away.