Unsettled weather including hail and snow forecast for rest of week

Road users urged to ‘stay vigilant’ in days after storm as weakened trees could fall

Storm Franklin has brought down a large tree in one of the oldeest sections of Dublin's Glasnevin cemetery, causing damage to some headstones and graves. Video: Dara MacDonaill

Met Éireann has predicted an unsettled outlook for the rest of the week, with dramatic changes in temperature and parts of Ireland due to be hit by hail and snow.

Tuesday night will be “mostly dry with long clear spells early on” but clouds will start to build from the west later, the forecaster has predicted.

Temperatures will be 0 to 4 degrees, with “a touch of frost possible”, but temperatures will increase after midnight.

More persistent rain will move across the country in the afternoon on Wednesday.

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“Some of the showers will be wintry with fall of sleet and snow on higher ground in the northwest,” Met Éireann said.

Wednesday

Wednesday will be a blustery day with strong and gusty southwest winds and highest afternoon temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees, which will become cooler later in the afternoon.

It will turn much colder early on Wednesday night as rain clears to the east.

Showers will follow behind, falling as sleet and snow in places.

There is a chance of isolated thunderstorms as well as hail on Wednesday night, with lowest temperatures of -2 to +1 degrees as well as “some frost and icy stretches”.

Thursday

Thursday will be a cold and windy day with sunny spells and scattered blustery showers, some falling as hail, sleet and snow on higher ground.

Some of these showers may also be heavy and thundery, especially in the west and north.

Wintry showers will “mostly become confined to the northwest and north overnight” on Thursday, with good dry clear spells developing elsewhere.

Temperatures will fall to 0 to 4 degrees, with “a touch of frost possible as winds ease.”

Friday

Friday is set to be mostly dry with good sunny spells in the morning, but cloud and some isolated patchy drizzle will spread from the west through the evening.

Current indications suggest it will be a wet weekend.

‘Stay vigilant’

Following the clearing of Ireland’s third major storm in a week, Storm Franklin, which battered Ireland with strong winds and left thousands without power, AA Roadwatch has warned road users to “stay vigilant the days after strong winds”.

“In the days immediately following strong winds, some trees which were weakened by the gusts could fall,” a post from AA on social media said.

“Remember too that it’s a good idea to carry out vehicle checks after stormy weather,” the post said.