Friday

Friday will start out with very cold conditions, with some icy stretches and lingering patches of freezing fog, says Met Éireann.

There may also be some underlying snow, especially over high ground in counties Dublin and Wicklow.

Throughout the day, most parts of the country will remain dry, with plenty of crisp sunshine, although occasional wintry showers will push into coastal areas, potentially turning heavy and thundery.

Highest temperatures will reach just 0°C to 3°C, with winds remaining light and variable.

Met Éireann says Friday night will be “bitterly” cold. Temperatures will fall to between -5°C and 0°C, with colder temperatures seen in inland areas.

This will once again result in a widespread sharp to severe frost, with icy stretches developing.

Many areas will remain dry overnight, though a few showers will affect Atlantic coastal counties, potentially falling as hail or snow.

Saturday

Frost and ice will linger through much of Saturday, along with some patches of freezing fog. It will stay dry in most places, but a few wintry showers will occur.

Afternoon temperatures will stay below freezing in places, with highs of only -1°C to 3°C seen. Winds will be light and variable.

Saturday night will see widespread frost and ice, with temperatures again falling to between -5°C and 0°C.

It will be mostly dry overnight, with some freezing fog.

Sunday

Met Éireann forecasts that temperatures will stay below freezing again on Sunday in many areas, with frost, ice and freezing fog persisting through the day.

It will remain mostly dry, apart from isolated showers in some coastal areas. Highest temperatures will reach -2°C to 2°C in light, variable winds.

Widespread frost and ice will then continue overnight, as temperatures fall to between -6°C and -2°C.

It will stay mostly dry overnight, apart from some isolated wintry showers.

Management notes

Tillage

Possible drier weather could improve ground conditions to enable essential field work be done in the coming week or so, writes tillage editor Andy Doyle.

Sheep

There have been a number of changes in the Sheep Improvement Scheme announced this week, including a later closing date and more options around pregnancy scanning, writes sheep editor Darren Carty.

Beef

Beef editor Adam Woods takes a look at the issues farmers are dealing with during the cold weather this week.

Dairy

In his notes, dairy editor Aidan Brennan takes a look at the main things farmers need to keep in mind as the amount of cows being dried off increases.

Read more

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