Night temperatures to fall below freezing

IT WAS clear skies and sunshine for most of the country last week, but it's a different story over the coming days.

Met Éireann has said temperatures will be below average for the early part of this week, falling below freezing point tonight and tomorrow night.

The forecast is for a wet and breezy start this morning over Munster and much of Connacht and Leinster, turning more showery in the afternoon. In Ulster it will be cold and windy with some hail and sleet showers and the possibility of snow.

This evening will see temperatures plunge to as low as – 3 degrees in many parts of the country.

Tomorrow and Thursday are also expected to be as cold in the evenings, although daytime temperatures may reach up to 11 degrees. Some clear spells are likely.

Met Éireann says over the Easter period temperatures will be in the low teens, which is normal for that time of year. However, it warns it may feel cooler at times due to fresh, northwest winds. Periods of rain are expected during Good Friday and Saturday, which are expected to clear by Easter Sunday.

New data from Met Éireann show temperatures for March were above average.

The highest temperature last month was 22.2 degrees at Belmullet, Co Mayo, the warmest March recorded there since 1956. Most other stations reported temperatures that were their highest in at least 47 years.

Sunshine totals for the month were above average everywhere, but it was still the dullest March since 2006 in parts of the southwest. The sunniest days of the month were between the 26th and 28th, where durations of over 11 hours were recorded everywhere.

Valentia Observatory and Shannon airport reported 11.2 hours and 11.4 hours of sunshine, their highest totals of daily sunshine in March since 1944 and 1965, respectively.

Last month also saw less rainfall than normal, with Mullingar, Co Westmeath, reporting its driest March since 1961.