It should be like night and day – after one part of Munster saw lows of around -8C last night, this weekend is going to see a transformation in conditions of the kind we rarely see in Ireland.
Limerick Junction was the coldest spot in Ireland last night at -8C and Munster remains under a Status Orange low temperature and ice warning this morning, and the alerts stay in place until tomorrow (Friday) lunchtime, with another frosty start on the cards tomorrow.
However, from around lunchtime tomorrow, temperatures will start to climb, as the prevailing winds shift around to the south west and a high pressure system starts to move in over Ireland. The mercury will continue to ascend on Saturday, up to 10C in Cork, while it will be a balmy 8C overnight, as we head into Sunday and highs of 11C.
The week ahead will start mild, dry and even sunny for most parts – so we can count on no frosty starts from Saturday and far better conditions.
The full forecast for Munster this morning looks like:
TODAY
Very cold this morning with widespread frost and ice lingering. Sunny spells will develop later with just a scattering of cloud in a cold northerly breeze. Highs really struggling at just 0 to 4 degrees.
TONIGHT
Very cold and dry tonight with frost setting in early. Cloud will push in from the south later with outbreaks of rain with easterly breezes. Bitterly cold with lowest temperature of -7 to -2 degrees with the lowest temperatures occurring early in the night. Frost, ice and black ice patches expected.
TOMORROW – Friday 10th January
Cloudy with rain spreading from the southwest early in the morning. Turning to sleet and snow along high ground. Highest temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees with freshening easterly breezes.
National Outlook
Friday Night: Quite an overcast night with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Perhaps not as cold as pervious nights either with lowest temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees with light winds.
Saturday: Staying rather cloudy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle gradually clearing away to the north. Some isolated bright or sunny spells will develop and it should stay dry through the afternoon. Light southerly breezes and highs of 4 to 8 degrees.
Saturday Night: A cloudy night overall but mostly dry too. Some patchy drizzle about western coasts but it will be a milder night than previously too. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 6 degrees with light southerly breezes. Some mist and fog patches will form overnight, quite dense in the southwest for a time.
Sunday: Another rather overcast day with freshening southerly breeze. Rain will gradually develop along western counties during the afternoon but it should hold dry across much of the country through to the evening. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees.
Next Week: Current indications are for high pressure to develop to the southeast of the country but a few frontal systems will clip western and northern counties too. Overall rather mixed with cloud and drizzle along Atlantic coastal fringes but drier and perhaps sunnier in the southeast.