OLIVIA KELLY
WINTER WEATHER is to make a return to all parts of the country in the coming days with extremely heavy rain, flooding and snow expected by Met Éireann.
After the clement and spring-like conditions of recent weeks Met Éireann forecaster Siobhán Ryan has warned people in all areas to expect a "shock to the system" as temperatures plummet from double figures to just three degrees. Southern areas, which were badly flooded late last year and again in January, will the worst affected by the rains today.
"Rainfall will be extremely heavy, leading to localised flooding, particularly in the southern half of the country. The northeast is likely to be affected as well," Ms Ryan said.
Munster can expect rainfall levels of up to 55mm today, before the temperatures drop and snow moves in across the country tonight.
"The temperatures will be dragged right down and it will become very cold. Further north in Ulster there could be snowfalls during the day but snow is likely to reach all parts of the country overnight."
While Munster will have the highest risk of flooding, it is likely to escape the worst of the snow, Ms Ryan said.
There would be concern for new lambs on hills, she said, with substantial accumulations of snow on higher ground, but the snow could also lie on low ground.
Munster, Connacht and west Ulster should have a brighter day tomorrow, but there will still be occasional showers of rain, hail or sleet, with snow over mountains. The eastern half of the country will have the worst of the rain, sleet and snow tomorrow and tomorrow night with further accumulations of snow in places, especially on mountains.
It will be cold overnight everywhere with frost and ice. Wednesday will remain very cold, but in most areas the snow will recede. However, there will be a renewed risk of snow on Thursday and Friday. The outlook for the Easter weekend is for cold and changeable weather.
The lower temperatures are likely to feel particularly cold after the recent period of good weather.
"We've had spring-like weather. Temperatures have been around average, even one degree or so above average for the time of year, so it's going be a real shock to the system. Temperatures will be struggling to reach three to seven degrees, when they have been in the low double digits," Ms Ryan said.
While snow is not a regular occurrence in late March and early April, extreme variations in temperatures and conditions are not unusual at this time of year, she said.
"You get huge variations in March. On St Patrick's Day temperatures reached 14 and 15 degrees and you can get night frosts in late April. This year has been a year where nothing has been predictable."