Deirdre O Meara 
The wait for proper spring weather on the south coast of Ireland is set to continue into the middle of next week at least, according to the latest forecast from Met Eireann. Chilly nights and mornings are expected to persist, with the possibility of light frost and daytime temperatures struggling to reach double digits in many parts of Munster. Heavy showers are expected in parts of Cork tonight, with a heavy band of rain set to cross in from the west on Saturday afternoon and hit most areas through the evening. Daytime temperatures will be low, between 9 and 13 C, as cold north-easterly winds dominate through the coming days.
This is in contrast to the UK, which is expecting temperatures to climb through the weekend, with some talk of a mini heatwave. A strong low-pressure system moving up from the southwest and passing the south coast of Ireland over the coming days will dominate the weather and bring unsettled, chilly and wet conditions.
Today, the highest temperatures expected across most of Munster will be between 12 and 13 degrees, but it could feel colder in many parts due to fresh easterly winds. However, more sunshine is expected later through the afternoon after a cloudy start. The full forecast from Met Eireann for Munster this morning looks like this:
Today will be rather cloudy with sunny spells improving later in the day. Mainly dry with the chance of an isolated shower. Highest temperatures of 12 or 13 degrees in mostly moderate easterly winds, fresh at times near the coast.
There’ll be a few showers tonight affecting Cork and Kerry, it will stay dry elsewhere as skies clear. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 5 degrees in mostly moderate easterly winds, fresh at times.
Tomorrow is expected to be dry and sunny, with highest temperatures of 11 or 12 degrees, as moderate to fresh easterly winds ease later. Thursday night will be dry and clear, with lowest temperatures between 2 and 5 degrees and light northeast breezes.
On Friday, it will be mainly dry and sunny to start, with cloud increasing through the morning and patchy outbreaks of rain and drizzle developing through the afternoon and evening over the southern half of the country, isolated showers further north. Highest temperatures of 13 or 14 degrees are expected in moderate to fresh northeasterly winds. Friday night will be mostly cloudy in the east and south with patchy rain and drizzle, while it will be drier and clearer for a time in the west and northwest with cloud increasing there too overnight. Lowest temperatures of 2 or 3 degrees are expected in light to moderate northeast breezes.
Saturday will be a mostly cloudy day with showers or longer spells of rain. Highest temperatures of 11 to 13 degrees are expected in light easterly or variable breezes. Sunday will start off mainly dry, but afternoon showers will develop. It will turn colder later as winds become northerly. Temperatures on Sunday will range between 9 degrees in the north and 14 degrees in the south. It is currently expected to potentially turn frosty again overnight Sunday night as a cold northerly airflow becomes established. Current indications suggest a cold but mainly dry situation for the start of next week, with rain arriving from the west midweek.
In summary, the south coast of Ireland is set to experience continued chilly and wet conditions over the coming days, with daytime temperatures struggling to reach double digits in many parts of Munster. Meanwhile, the UK is expecting a mini heatwave over the weekend. A strong low-pressure system moving up from the southwest and passing the south coast of Ireland will dominate the weather, bringing unsettled conditions. However, there will be some dry and sunny periods, particularly on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday mornings.
