Met Éireann said some wintry showers are possible in places this weekend as the unsettled weather conditions continue.

This morning (Friday, March 13) will see showers of rain, hail, sleet and some snow on high ground.

It will be a cold and breezy day with bright or sunny spells and occasional showers of rain or hail, some isolated thunderstorms are possible.

Highest afternoon temperatures of 5° to 8°C, in moderate to fresh, gusty westerly winds.

A Status Yellow snow-ice warning for Cork; Kerry; Limerick; Tipperary; Waterford; Donegal; Galway; Leitrim; Mayo; Sligo and Wicklow is due to expire at 9:00a.m today.

The national forecaster said that showers in these counties may fall as sleet or snow with some accumulations possible, mainly on higher ground.

Showers will become largely confined to Atlantic coastal counties tonight with clear spells developing. A cold night tonight as temperatures drop back to between -1° and 3° which will lead to frost.

There will be some mist and fog patches in places in the light westerly winds.

Weekend

Saturday will start mostly dry with some bright or sunny spells. Scattered showers will extend eastwards during the morning. The showers will gradually die out in the evening.

Highest temperatures of 7° to 9° in light to moderate west to south-west breezes.

Mostly cloudy on Saturday night with rain and drizzle moving eastwards. Clear spells and scattered showers will follow from the west.

Overnight lows of 3° to 7° as moderate southerly winds veer fresh and gusty westerly.

Sunday will be a cool, breezy day with sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, some of which will be wintry. Highest temperatures of 5° to 10° in fresh to strong westerly winds.

The showers will become largely confined to Ulster on Sunday night with clearer skies elsewhere. Lowest temperatures of 1° to 5° in moderate to fresh and gusty westerly winds.

Cloud will build on Monday bringing rain and drizzle from the Atlantic. Fresh to strong south to south-west winds will develop in the afternoon. Highest temperatures of 10° to 12°.

Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day) will be mostly cloudy with some patchy rain or drizzle in places. The best of any bright intervals are expected in the east. More persistent rain will develop in the west in the morning and will spread eastwards through the day.

It will be mild and breezy with fresh southerly winds and highest temperatures of 11° to 13°.

Met Éireann

Met Éireann said that rainfall is expected to be above average for the coming week across most of the country. However, lower than average accumulations are forecast for the south and south-east.

Temperatures in the week ahead will be generally close to average for March.

In the past week soil temperatures were all generally above average across the country, ranging between 1.8° and 2.7° above normal, and are expected to see little change over the next 7 days.

Met Éireann said there will be poor drying over the coming days due to frequent showers and longer spells of rain, while spraying opportunities will be limited.

Most poorly-drained and some moderately-drained soils are currently saturated and locally waterlogged. Some light soils are trafficable, the best of which are in the east and north-east of the country.

Due to unsettled conditions this week, soil conditions are expected to deteriorate and many poorly-drained soils will become waterlogged.