Your daily forecasts from Boards.ie weather forum (NO CHAT)

M.T. Cranium · 25-02-2016 8:15am

Thursday, 25 February, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Becoming mostly cloudy, continued very cold for most, with a light rain near southwest coasts turning sleety inland by evening as it slowly pushes further east. The day should remain dry in most places with highs only 4 to 7C.

TONIGHT ... The sleety rain in parts of west Munster and coastal Connacht will edge further east and may turn to snow on hills at least above 250m above sea level. It will likely remain dry away from these two regions and while cold, the increase in cloud may prevent a sharp frost except perhaps in parts of north Leinster and east Ulster. Lows will range from -4 C in a few places there, to +2 C in coastal west Munster.

FRIDAY ... The light rain will continue to drift further east and may become somewhat heavier in the southeast (5-15 mm potential), also it may be quite sleety and mix with snow on hills (250 m above sea level the most likely transition zone). Some heavy falls of snow are possible on higher slopes in the south. Later, a second area of cold rain and hill snow may develop over north Connacht and west Ulster. North Leinster and east Ulster may see less rain or sleet and a few places could remain dry. Highs only 3 to 6 C generally.

SATURDAY ... The remnants of the mixed sleety precipitation will now drift westward as the trough weakens and a northeast wind flow takes over. This may lead to a few morning snow showers over hills in western counties, and a few mixed wintry showers coming inland from the Irish Sea, but the trend will be back to dry if rather cloudy weather with a better chance of sunny intervals by late afternoon. Lows -3 to +2 C and highs 4 to 7 C, winds northeast at 30 to 50 km/hr adding a chill.

SUNDAY ... A colder morning due to clearing skies, then some sunshine followed by increasing cloud. Lows -5 to +1 C and highs 4 to 8 C, mildest near west coast.

MONDAY ... Periods of rain, milder, becoming breezy or windy later in the day (westerly 50-80 km/hr) as temperatures gradually rise to 8-10 C.

TUESDAY ... Windy and turning colder again with showers becoming mixed and wintry, highs near 5 C in northwest winds 50-80 km/hr.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Slightly milder again but then a rather lengthy cool spell that may also be reasonably dry. Frequent frosts and highs in the 6-9 C range.

My local weather on Wednesday was partly cloudy and mild, the high 13 C. The heaviest snow from the eastern low was recorded in northwest Indiana where blizzard conditions prevailed. There were very heavy rainfalls in quite a few locations in the east, Baltimore had 66 mms but it was quite mild at 17 C.
This milder weather will be pushed out into the Atlantic by colder westerly winds today but the low which is now near Ottawa will bring snow to central Quebec and Labrador.

M.T. Cranium · 26-02-2016 8:13am

Friday, 26 February, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Light rain will continue to drift further east and may become somewhat heavier in the southeast (5-15 mm potential, elsewhere 3-7 mm), also it may be quite sleety and mix with snow on hills (250 m above sea level the most likely transition zone). Highs 4 to 7 C.

TONIGHT ... Rain may turn to sleet with some heavy falls of snow possible on higher slopes in the south. Later, a second area of cold rain and hill snow may develop over north Connacht and west Ulster. North Leinster and east Ulster may see less rain or sleet and a few places could remain dry. Lows will fall to about -2 C in those dry areas but will hold near +1 C where rain or sleet is falling and zero in any persistent snow.

SATURDAY ... The remnants of the mixed sleety precipitation will now drift westward as the trough weakens and a northeast wind flow takes over. This may lead to a few morning snow showers over hills in western counties, and a few mixed wintry showers coming inland from the Irish Sea, but the trend will be back to dry if rather cloudy weather with a better chance of sunny intervals by late afternoon. Highs will reach 4 to 7 C, with winds northeast at 30 to 50 km/hr adding a chill.

SUNDAY ... A colder morning due to clearing skies, then some sunshine followed by increasing cloud. Lows -5 to +1 C and highs 4 to 8 C, mildest near west coast. Winds generally light northeast or nearly calm.

MONDAY ... Periods of rain, milder, becoming breezy or windy later in the day (westerly 50-80 km/hr) as temperatures gradually rise to 8-10 C.

OUTLOOK ... Not as mild after Tuesday morning with a gradual return to colder weather and occasional showers, a more organized sleety rain to snow mixture likely towards Friday 4th and Saturday 5th March, and cold, dry weather after that in light to moderate east winds, sharp frosts likely in the north about as far as we can see into the reliable time frame with a very low-energy blocked pattern developing, not as cold as March 2013 became (the first eight days of that month were not particularly cold) but colder than average for certain in at least the first half of March by 2-3 degrees.

My local weather by contrast was rather spring-like with some hazy sunshine and highs near 15 C.

M.T. Cranium · 27-02-2016 8:05am

Saturday, 27 February, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... The mixture of cold rain and hill snow in west Munster should end fairly soon, leaving most regions dry but overcast, with a few sunny breaks possible later. There could also be isolated sleety showers coming inland from the Irish Sea on a moderate (at times) easterly breeze 30-50 km/hr. Highs only 4 to 7 C.

TONIGHT ... Gradual clearing in most places with lows -5 to -1 C, a sharp frost likely and icy roads in some places.

SUNDAY ... Sunny intervals, the frost gradually relenting and with light winds it may feel a bit warmer despite similar highs of 5 to 8 C. Overcast in the west by afternoon, and with this cloud spreading rapidly east, no frost is likely on Sunday night.

MONDAY ... Overcast with occasional rain, some heavier bursts and 10-20 mm generally, then becoming rather windy by late in the day (westerly 50-80 km/hr) with morning lows 5-7 C and highs 10-12 C.

TUESDAY ... Continued windy, reasonably mild early in the day but turning colder in stages with squally showers likely, some with hail. Lows 4-7 C and highs in the range of 6-9 C. Winds WNW 50-80 km/hr.

WEDNESDAY ... Windy and cold but somewhat milder by late in the day as winds back from northwest to southwest 40-70 km/hr. Occasional light rain will develop after some dry intervals. Lows -2 to +2 C and highs 7-10 C.

THURSDAY ... Mild and breezy, occasional rain, highs near 11 C.

FRIDAY to SUNDAY (4-6 March) will turn a lot colder again, as winds turn more to the northwest then north in the wake of strong low pressure dropping southeast into central Europe. Mixed wintry showers may develop and highs will be only 4 to 7 C, slight frosts could develop away from milder coastal areas, and winds often gusting above 80 km/hr will add a chill.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Becoming more settled but continued quite cold with the risk of sharp to severe frosts as late as mid-month.

My local weather on Friday was overcast with brief sunny breaks and mild with highs near 14 C. There's a bit of light rain now, expected to clear away in the morning. Spring is well advanced here already, cherry blossoms are in the early budding stages (and from other plants, lots of people have their allergies going).

M.T. Cranium · 28-02-2016 8:29am

Sunday, 28 February, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Isolated sleety showers in the Dublin region will soon dissipate, and any lingering frost or fog should gradually give way to more frequent sunny intervals, with light winds it may feel a bit warmer despite similar highs to recent days, of 5 to 8 C. Overcast again in the west by afternoon.

TONIGHT ... Cloudy, light rain developing in western counties (1-3 mm) and milder than recent nights, lows 5-7 C.

MONDAY ... Overcast with occasional rain, some heavier bursts and 10-20 mm generally, then becoming rather windy by late in the day (westerly 50-80 km/hr) with highs 10-12 C.

TUESDAY ... Continued windy, reasonably mild early in the day but turning colder in stages with squally showers likely, some with hail. Lows 4-7 C and highs in the range of 6-9 C. Winds WNW 50-80 km/hr.

WEDNESDAY ... Windy and cold with passing wintry showers, but somewhat milder by late in the day as winds back from northwest to southwest 40-70 km/hr. Occasional light rain will develop after some dry intervals. Early morning lows -2 to +2 C and highs 6-8 C except near 10 C in west Munster.

THURSDAY ... Mild and breezy, occasional rain, highs near 11 C in south, about 8 or 9 C north, but turning quite cold by evening.

FRIDAY to SUNDAY (4-6 March) will turn a lot colder again, as winds turn more to the northwest then north in the wake of strong low pressure dropping southeast into central Europe. Mixed wintry showers may develop and highs will be only 4 to 7 C, slight frosts could develop away from milder coastal areas, and winds often gusting above 80 km/hr will add a chill.

FURTHER OUTLOOK calls for slightly milder conditions mid-week (around 9th of March) followed by more cold, dry weather as a ridge develops to the north of Ireland connecting remnants of the Atlantic high with northern European high pressure -- there could even be a wintry feel to this spell around mid-month but this may not quite come about given the growing strength of the March sun -- nights could be as cold as we've seen all winter though.

Although BRITAIN should be broadly similar, there is more chance of snow showers developing around next weekend as eastern England will be quite close to the slow-moving low pressure system dropping southeast towards Belgium and eventually towards the Alps and northern Italy, so most of Europe will be in for some rather wintry conditions at some point in the next week to ten days.

My local weather on Saturday was misty with drizzle at times and the high was about 11 C. Very cold air is pressing south in central Canada but a weak low near Lake Michigan is going to hold that back long enough for a second low to form in Iowa, and eventually all of that activity will lead to some snow across the Great Lakes region with milder temperatures for the east coast.

M.T. Cranium · 29-02-2016 8:39am

Monday, 29 February, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Rain is spreading across all regions and will start as wet snow or sleet in north Leinster and east Ulster, 2-3 cms could fall on some higher terrain. Temperatures will gradually rise to about 8-10 C but winds will increase from southwest veering to west 50-80 km/hr and it may not feel any milder than recent days as a result. About 15-20 mm of rain is likely for most regions.

TONIGHT ... A few showers in blustery westerly winds 60-90 km/hr, temperatures steady in the range 5-7 C.

TUESDAY ... Windy and turning colder in stages, showers producing hail and then sleet, some snow by evening on higher terrain mostly. Temperatures will fall steadily after highs near 9 C in the morning hours or mid-day, and will reach 2-4 C by evening. Winds west to northwest 50-80 km/hr but possibly higher gusts in western coastal counties by evening.

WEDNESDAY ... Continued windy and cold, mixed wintry showers, turning a bit milder in west Munster by evening. Lows -2 to +2 C and highs 5-9 C for most, 7-11 C in southwest. Winds westerly backing to southwest 40-60 km/hr.

THURSDAY ... Briefly milder, rain or showers, highs near 10 C. Then turning much colder late in the day, rain may change to wet snow.

FRIDAY ... Windy and cold with wintry showers, highs near 6 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Very cold next weekend, slowly warming to about Tuesday of the following week but then turning cold again.

Over in BRITAIN the day is starting out quite frosty and some sleet or snow may develop before the rain arrives from the west. Otherwise it's about the same general sequence of events there as in Ireland this week.

My local weather on Sunday was overcast, windy with a few showers, highs near 10 C. Mild weather in the east will quickly turn to snow across the Great Lakes Tuesday and Wednesday, some heavy falls are possible (20-30 cms). That will be followed by very cold, but clear conditions. Not much snow is expected on the east coast except briefly when the colder air arrives.

M.T. Cranium · 01-03-2016 7:54am

Tuesday, 1 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

ALERT for snow in many parts of Ulster, north Leinster and inland northeast Connacht tonight and tomorrow morning, 3 to 6 cms possible, heaviest on higher terrain. Scattered 1 to 3 cm snowfalls may occur further south but this is expected to be mainly on higher ground exposed to northwest winds.

TODAY ... Rain ending in the southeast, some brief clearing, mild at first, then squally showers, risk of thunder and hail, gusty winds and turning colder. Further showers may begin to turn wintry during the afternoon especially in north Connacht and west Ulster. Temperatures near 10 C this morning will drop steadily when a fast-moving cold front arrives mid-day, reaching 4 C by late afternoon. Winds SW 50-80 km/hr veering to WNW 60-90 km/hr with some higher gusts near Donegal Bay and Galway Bay.

TONIGHT ... Widespread snow showers will give 3-6 cms in parts of Ulster, northeast Connacht and north Leinster, with isolated 1-3 cms amounts further south. Windy and very cold with showers still mixed near south coast and at sea level near west coast, but snow will dominate inland. Winds northwest and very blustery this evening, 60-100 km/hr then somewhat less windy after midnight. Lows -2 to +2 C but feeling closer to -5 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Continued windy and cold, snow showers easing and becoming less widespread, then a trend to mixed showers and evening rain or sleet, highs near 7 C south and 4 C north.

THURSDAY ... Occasional rain or showers, a bit milder again for the first part of the day, then squally showers, much colder with showers increasingly wintry in west to northwest winds 50-80 km/hr. Morning highs near 9 C then falling off to 3-5 C.

FRIDAY and SATURDAY will be windy and very cold with the risk of heavy snow streamers developing across north and east, isolated snow showers elsewhere. Highs only 4 to 7 C at best, lows -1 to +2 C. Winds northerly with slight northeast tendencies at times, 50-80 km/hr.

SUNDAY will see somewhat milder conditions after a cold, frosty start, with a risk of some sleet turning to light rain but also some dry intervals in the mix, lows around -3 C and highs 7-9 C.

NEXT WEEK is currently looking a bit milder than previously expected, in response to different signals over the western Atlantic, and some days may actually make it above 10 C in southwest winds, but a return to cold and unsettled conditions could occur late in the week.

This trend to cold and sometimes snowy conditions in some areas will also be the case for BRITAIN, the most likely areas to see snow mid-week would be western Scotland and northwest England, north-central Wales. By the weekend the snow threat in Britain would be mainly near the North Sea.

In NORTH AMERICA, a snowstorm is developing in Wisconsin and will move across Michigan into Ontario. Some places could see 20-30 cms of snow. A narrow band of sleet or freezing rain will affect the lower Great Lakes mainly near Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo. This storm will be followed by a surge of quite cold but clearing weather then a secondary snow storm will develop south of the Great Lakes and move to Virginia around Friday-Saturday. That one could give 10-15 cms of snow south of Washington DC. Meanwhile it remains quite mild in the west. My local weather on Monday was cloudy with just a few brief showers, and highs near 9 C.

M.T. Cranium · 02-03-2016 8:11am

Wednesday, 2 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

ALERT for very windy conditions this morning, expect occasional severe gusts with less blustery intervals to continue off and on through much of the day although with a very gradual moderation. Also, some further snow or hail showers are likely and roads could become slippery during and after these. There may also be further lightning strikes especially in parts of the inland south.

TODAY ... Very windy to start, the mixed showers with some severe wind gusts and lightning, hail associated, have changed back and forth from snow to sleet and rain and may continue to do so at times, with the usual tendencies for snow to be more frequent on hills. Winds west-northwest at 80 to 120 km/hr should moderate slightly by afternoon. Highs 5 to 8 C but feeling more like -2 C in the strong winds.

TONIGHT ... Less windy, some local clearing may lead to sharp frosts, ice fog in a few spots, but one or two mixed wintry showers will still feed in from west to northwest. Lows -3 to +2 C.

THURSDAY ... Some bright intervals in east, mostly cloudy elsewhere, outbreaks of light rain will develop mid-day (5-8 mm) and it will be slightly milder with highs 7-9 C. However, colder and more blustery northwest winds will develop in some western counties towards the end of the day.

FRIDAY ... Windy and very cold, early morning snow may become heavy on north and east facing slopes in Leinster. At this point, I am expecting 5-15 cm snowfalls above 200m on Dublin and Wicklow hills, patchy 2-5 cm coverage lower down with sleet and cold rain in the mix. Winds will settle into the northeast at 50-80 km/hr adding quite a raw feel to the day. Some sunny intervals may develop in west Munster but isolated wintry showers are possible all over the country, more organized bands of mixed precipitation in Leinster (as low pressure develops over Wales). Morning lows -1 to +1 C and highs only 3 to 7 C.

SATURDAY ... Further snow showers are quite likely in strong northerly winds, some further accumulations likely (3-5 cms on hills mainly). The showers may become more mixed later in the day. Lows -2 to +2 C and highs 4 to 7 C.

SUNDAY ... Windy and cold with wintry showers and highs near 6 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Somewhat milder next week, although not much milder than average for early March (highs 9-12 C).

Over in BRITAIN today's windy and squally conditions are just about to hit with full force and they will be severe across the south most of the day with some gusts to 140 km/hr in exposed locations. The trend to Friday will then be similar to the Irish forecast, but once the low settles in over Wales, some very heavy snowfall is possible there and in some parts of western England (20 cms or more on some hills in south Wales). There may be some disruptions to road travel such as the M-4 route to London.

Meanwhile, heavy snow pushed across the central Great Lakes region on Tuesday with reports of 20-30 cms in Michigan and some parts of Ontario. Freezing rain has coated regions near Lake Erie and will push into upstate New York and northern New England today; the heavy snow will head for Ottawa and central Quebec. This storm is followed by clear, cold and windy weather but a second weaker snowfall producing low will push out of the plains states towards Virginia late in the week, 5-15 cm snowfalls are expected in states from Kentucky to Virginia. My local weather on Tuesday was overcast with light rain and a chilly wind, highs about 9 C.

M.T. Cranium · 03-03-2016 8:10am

Thursday, 3 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Outbreaks of light rain in central counties will spread slowly to the east coast by late morning. Western counties will enjoy a brief milder interlude with highs near 10 C, and it will be close to 8 C in the east. Towards late afternoon, much colder weather will set in across the country, with a few blustery hail or snow showers possible. There may also be some more lightning. While there is some potential for wind gusts to 70 km/hr, this won't become a very windy outbreak.

TONIGHT ... As winds fall off to rather slack 30-50 km/hr, mixed wintry showers will become fairly widespread with brief clear intervals in the mix. Very cold with lows -3 to +1 C. Frost and ice will develop rapidly.

FRIDAY ... Some areas of wet snow or sleet are likely to consolidate near the Dublin and Wicklow mountains and could turn to a heavy snowfall (10-15 cms) there, but otherwise, most regions will see alternating periods of sleet, wet snow and rain with mostly slushy accumulations of 1-3 cms in a few places. Winds across the south will remain rather light and variable, but a strong northeast wind will develop from about Dublin to Galway northwards, and this may result in some heavy but sleety streamers around Leinster. It will be quite a cold day with highs only 3 to 6 C at best and close to +1 C on higher terrain.

SATURDAY ... Some sunny intervals, some mixed wintry showers, and gusty north to northeast winds 60-90 km/hr adding quite a chill, lows -4 to +1 C and highs 4 to 8 with the higher readings in west Munster. Locally heavy snowfalls possible on north-facing slopes in both Leinster and Connacht.

SUNDAY ... Partly cloudy, wintry showers at times, continued windy and cold. Lows -3 to +2 C, highs 5 to 8 C. Winds northerly or northwesterly 50-80 km/hr.

OUTLOOK ... Turning milder next week, highs 10-12 C by midweek.

In BRITAIN, the snow may become quite heavy tonight and Friday in some parts of Wales and central England. There may also be heavy snow showers in other places throughout the weekend, depending on where and when streamers form in generally north to northeast winds.

Some snow is also heading for Kentucky, southern Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia in the next day or two. It will remain quite cold further north, but mainly dry. The west has cooled to more average temperatures in recent days. My local weather on Wednesday was overcast with some brief showers and highs near 10 C.

M.T. Cranium · 04-03-2016 8:02am

Friday, 4 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

ALERT for snowfall in Leinster this morning, most places will see 2 to 5 cms by about 0900h then this will change to rain and accumulations will become slushy before melting ... however, much heavier snowfalls are possible on higher portions of the Dublin and Wicklow mountains, 5 to 15 cms and a change to rain will come later (or not at all near summit levels).

TODAY ... Periods of snow in Leinster will eventually turn to rain this morning except on higher terrain. Most locations will have 2-5 cms, hills could see 5-15 cms. Northeast winds 40-70 km/hr will make it feel quite raw. About 5-10 mm of rain will follow, there will be a rather slushy transition later this morning. ... In other regions, a few mixed wintry showers but also brighter intervals. Winds will increase gradually across the south to northerly 40-70 km/hr. Highs in all regions will be around 4 to 7 C except 1 to 3 C on snow-covered hills.

TONIGHT ... Windy and cold with passing mixed and wintry showers in a few areas, clear intervals also. Lows -3 to +2 C.

SATURDAY ... Windy and cold with snow showers in some northern and western counties, isolated mixed wintry showers elsewhere. Winds northwest to north 50-80 km/hr, highs 4 to 8 C (highest readings south coast).

SUNDAY ... Clear and very cold to start in most places, then increasing cloud, outbreaks of sleet or snow possible, some accumulations on hills. Lows of -4 to +1 C, highs 3 to 7 C. Winds northeast 30-50 km/hr.

MONDAY ... Mixed sleet, snow and rain at times, lows 0-2 C and highs 3-7 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Becoming much milder with highs 10-13 C later in the week.

In BRITAIN, the low will bring intervals of snow, sleet and cold rain, some heavy accumulations possible in Wales and central England today.

My local weather on Thursday began with fog and rain, but some clearing and milder by afternoon, highs near 12 C. Light snow will affect parts of the eastern U.S. especially between Philadelphia and Norfolk VA today, and another area of light snow will slide southeast from the northern plains states towards the Great Lakes region. It will be turning very mild in central regions over the weekend.

M.T. Cranium · 05-03-2016 8:50am

Saturday, 5 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... A few isolated wintry showers, most likely in northwestern counties, but generally dry with some sunshine at times, cold northerly winds 40-60 km/hr and highs 4 to 7 C.

TONIGHT ... Clear intervals, very cold, widespread frost and icy roads likely to be encountered in some rural areas. Lows -4 to +1 C.

SUNDAY ... Increasing cloud followed by rain or sleet, hill snow in southwest and west, but probably staying dry in north and east, southeast. Cold with highs 3 to 7 C.

MONDAY ... A frosty and possibly icy start to the day especially in areas where wintry showers have occurred, north-central to southeast most likely at risk, lows -4 to +2 C then variable cloud, some further wintry showers and continued quite cold with highs 4 to 7 C.

TUESDAY ... Briefly quite mild with rain developing, gusty south to southwest winds veering sharply to northwest or north late in the day as much colder air returns behind a well-defined cold front moving rapidly southeast, gusts to about 80 km/hr, highs 9 to 12 C but then falling to 3-7 C later in the day in the north and west. This sharp drop in temperature will reach the east and south by the evening or overnight.

WEDNESDAY ... A cold start but quickly recovering back towards 10 C as this series of cold fronts is overcome by a more dominant Atlantic southwesterly flow, and it should remain fairly mild for several days once this becomes established by Thursday. Highs 11 to 14 C later in the week, rain at times but also some dry intervals.

My local weather on Friday was overcast with rain becoming heavy by later in the day, mild with highs near 13 C.

M.T. Cranium · 06-03-2016 8:52am

Sunday, 6 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Overcast with light rain developing across western counties, spreading gradually into central counties by afternoon. East likely to remain dry with a few brighter intervals. Rain may mix with sleet on higher terrain well inland. Highs 4 to 8 C mildest in west Munster.

TONIGHT ... Rain or drizzle with some sleet or isolated hill snow and lows about 1-3 C for most but with some frosty or icy patches in north Leinster and east Ulster.

MONDAY ... Occasional rain or sleet, cold. Highs 4 to 8 C.

TUESDAY ... Somewhat milder with occasional rain (totals over three days will be 15-30 mm in parts of the west but much less in east). Highs near 10 C. Turning colder late in the day in Connacht.

WEDNESDAY ... Windy and cold in most regions with showers or light rain for the morning then a bit milder again, lows 1-3 C and highs 8-10 C.

OUTLOOK ... Milder in stages, possibly very mild at times. Highs 13-15 C by Friday and Saturday.

My local weather was overcast with a few sunny breaks and very mild, highs broke daily records around the region (17 C at my location).

M.T. Cranium · 07-03-2016 8:22am

Monday, 7 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with a few brighter intervals, some light sleety rain showers will pass through Leinster this morning giving only 1-2 mm then it should become mainly dry this afternoon. Still rather cold with highs 5-9 C.

TONIGHT ... Occasional light rain, not as cold as recent nights, lows 3-5 C.

TUESDAY ... Showers becoming more isolated, some sunny breaks may develop as it turns quite mild for the afternoon, highs 9-12 C. Moderate southwest winds developing.

TUESDAY NIGHT ... Low pressure will develop rather quickly near the south coast and pull in a strong northwest wind flow, with mixed wintry showers over northwestern hills, rain showers elsewhere, winds rising to northwesterly 50-80 km/hr. Lows 1-3 C.

WEDNESDAY ... The strong northwest winds won't last all day as the storm rapidly pulls away towards northern France. This will confine the chilly outbreak to the morning and allow milder air to return quickly during the afternoon, so highs may reach 8 to 10 C again. Some further showers or light rain may come and go.

THURSDAY to SUNDAY are looking quite mild with highs 10-13 C and it may become mainly dry as well with a few sunny breaks each day. Some guidance is showing colder air trying to push back from the east towards the end of the weekend, but this is rather uncertain.

The sequence of events will be a little slower for BRITAIN which will remain quite cold through to Tuesday mid-day. When the Tuesday night storm develops, it will reach southeast England by mid-day Wednesday, resulting in strong northerly winds in the London region Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Over most of NORTH AMERICA the weather pattern is rapidly warming. On Sunday, highs reached 24 C in North Dakota which is about 20 degrees above normal there. This warmth is gradually spreading further east. Meanwhile, my local weather on Sunday was a bit cooler than the previous day and windy, with highs near 10 C.

M.T. Cranium · 08-03-2016 8:00am

Tuesday, 8 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with a few sunny intervals, isolated showers but many places dry until evening. Moderate southwest breezes 40-60 km/hr developing. Highs 9 to 12 C.

TONIGHT ... Becoming rather windy and turning colder (after midnight in east) as winds become northwest 50-80 km/hr, passing showers with some risk of hail, sleet or snow on hills in north mainly. Lows 1-3 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly cloudy with the strong northwest winds gradually easing and shifting to westerly 40-60 km/hr. A few more brief showers but some dry intervals too. Highs 8-10 C.

THURSDAY ... Cloudy with sunny intervals, just a slight chance of drizzle or light rain near northwestern coasts, otherwise largely dry. Morning lows about 3 to 5 C and afternoon highs 11 to 13 C.

FRIDAY to SUNDAY will continue fair and mild with some morning fog patches or mist, a few sunny breaks each day, and by the weekend winds falling off to light south or southeast. Morning lows could be close to freezing in a few inland parts of the southeast but generally 3-5 C, and afternoon highs will continue 11-14 C, possibly even higher in Connacht, west Munster.

OUTLOOK calls for this dry settled spell to continue although possibly with a slight drop in temperature and isolated showers developing mainly near the south coast as somewhat cooler air circulates around the high pressure area. Although confidence is low in this final point, models are suggesting a return to wet weather in about two weeks.

My local weather on Monday was overcast with occasional light rain, highs near 10 C.

M.T. Cranium · 09-03-2016 8:33am

Wednesday, 9 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Partly cloudy with this morning's strong northwest winds (gusts to 80 km/hr in exposed locations mainly west and south coasts) gradually easing and shifting to westerly 40-60 km/hr. A few more brief showers, some with hail or snow on higher slopes, but frequent dry intervals too. Highs 8-10 C but it will remain cold this morning, temperatures may be around 5 or 6 C by mid-day and the highs are likely to come in the late afternoon.

TONIGHT ... Some clear intervals developing, ground fog or mist, lows 2-6 C. Isolated frost could be found in the inland southeast.

THURSDAY ... Cloudy with sunny intervals, just a slight chance of drizzle or light rain near northwestern coasts, otherwise largely dry. Morning lows about 3 to 5 C and afternoon highs 11 to 13 C.

FRIDAY to SUNDAY will continue fair and mild with some morning fog patches or mist, a few sunny breaks each day, and by the weekend winds falling off to light south or southeast. Morning lows could be close to freezing in a few inland parts of the southeast but generally 3-5 C, even milder near Atlantic coasts, and afternoon highs will continue 11-14 C, possibly even higher in Connacht, west Munster (15 C possible).

OUTLOOK calls for this settled and mild weather to continue although with a slight cooling trend after the weekend, guidance varies about how much of a cooling trend that will be, probably just a degree or two each day until readings are back around 9 or 10 C by about the end of next week. There is not much rain currently indicated but eventually there will be a more normal amount of rain in the mix. Hopefully things will have a chance to dry out and water tables can drop to more normal levels during these drier days.

The intense low that formed off the south coast last night is slowly moving across southwest England en route to France, and very strong northerly winds have developed in Brittany, Cornwall and Devon. These will spread a bit further east but then the low will weaken. This will lead to a day of steady rain (20-30 mm) in parts of southeast England today. Their forecast will gradually shift to be closer to the above outlook for Ireland, but when milder air does arrive, it could be held to western regions of Britain by strong sea breezes off the North Sea. The effects of the Irish Sea in Leinster will be less of a factor although the immediate coast may be a couple of degrees cooler than further inland.

Mild to warm spring weather dominates in most parts of North America. My local weather on Tuesday was overcast with a bit of rain at times and the high was about 12 C.

Note, the new moon has come and gone overnight, and it produced a total eclipse of the Sun in parts of Indonesia. That was around 0200h Irish time.

M.T. Cranium · 10-03-2016 8:45am

Thursday, 10 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Mostly cloudy, mild. Highs 11-13 C.

TONIGHT ... Cloudy, spotty light rain in Connacht and west Ulster, lows 4-7 C.

FRIDAY ... Light rain at times in Connacht and west Ulster, some parts of west Munster and north Leinster, 1-3 mm only for most, 3-5 mm closer to Donegal Bay, and cloudy but mainly dry elsewhere, mild, highs 12-14 C.

SATURDAY to MONDAY should continue mild and mostly dry in all areas with highs 12-15 C and lows 3-6 C. There may be a few sunny intervals in otherwise mainly cloudy conditions.

FURTHER OUTLOOK calls for just gradual change through the middle to end of next week with a somewhat higher risk of showers towards Friday 18th and temperatures remaining in the 12-15 C range most days although with a slightly cooler regime near the east coast.

My local weather was once again rather wet and the high was about 10 C with strong winds threatening from an intense storm off the coast tonight (gusts earlier to 120 km/hr at Astoria, Oregon). Meanwhile record high temperatures were reported all over the eastern U.S., for example 25 C at Boston.

M.T. Cranium · 11-03-2016 8:25am

Friday, 11 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Occasional light rain in parts of Connacht and Ulster (3-5 mm), mostly dry in Munster and Leinster, although rather cloudy, highs 11-13 C. Moderate southerly breezes.

TONIGHT ... A little more rain possible in north and west (1-2 mm) and dry but cloudy elsewhere, lows 4-7 C.

SATURDAY ... Cloudy with a few brighter intervals, still the threat of occasional light rain in parts of Ulster and north Connacht but little accumulation. Highs 11-14 C. Moderate southerly breezes.

SUNDAY to WEDNESDAY will provide a largely dry and continuing mild spell although with somewhat less cloud, the temperature range may increase. Some lows of 1-4 C in clear spots (most likely to be in the inland south) and highs that could reach 14 to 16 C in parts of the west, although staying 12 to 14 C in most other locations. Winds throughout will be light to moderate southeast.

OUTLOOK for later in the week including the 17th is for little change in this rather static pattern, there may be a slight drop in daytime temperatures to around 10-12 C and there will eventually be a risk of drizzle or light rain near the south coast (at some point towards the end of the week) as weak disturbances meander westward around the sprawling high to the north of Ulster. Patterns like this can break down with a return to unsettled westerly type regimes but in this case the chances favour a colder northeasterly at some point much later in March as the entire pattern shows signs of moving west during the next ten days.

Very warm weather continues in eastern North America with highs above 20 C in most eastern states and many daily records set. The west is closer to average. We got our predicted windstorm although it was somewhat hit and miss due to sheltering effects of hills to our south (in the San Juan Islands) so while it was quite nasty here there was no damage locally, but considerable wind damage a few miles to our east, large trees down and out-buildings blown across fields. This all subsided around mid-morning and it rained for a few hours then cleared up with a high of 13 C.

M.T. Cranium · 12-03-2016 8:27am

Saturday, 12 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with a few brighter intervals, still the threat of occasional light rain in parts of Ulster and north Connacht but little accumulation. Highs 11-14 C. Moderate southerly breezes becoming light southeasterly.

TONIGHT ... Cloud may break in some parts of the inland south but then mist or fog will create low cloud so that overall most places will be cloudy most of the time and lows will be around 4 to 7 C.

SUNDAY to WEDNESDAY will provide a largely dry and continuing mild spell although with somewhat less cloud, the temperature range may increase. Some lows of 1-4 C in clear spots (most likely to be in the inland south), otherwise 4-7 C under cloud or mist, and highs will reach 14 to 16 C in parts of the west, although staying 12 to 14 C in most other locations. Winds throughout will be light to moderate southeast.

THURSDAY to WEEKEND (19-20 March) may continue rather similar but there are indications of a slight cooling trend mainly due to the slow westward drift of the high which will allow the light to moderate breezes to back further into the northeast. There may also be a few intervals with spotty drizzle or very light showers that form in slight troughs within the broad easterly flow, but trying to time these five or six days away is problematic. The basic outcome will be continued dry weather in many areas with just very slight rainfalls in a few locations, not very prolonged either.

Over in BRITAIN it's essentially a similar story but nights will generally be somewhat colder because of a tendency to more clearing late afternoon or evening before nightfall, allowing a faster drop in temperatures from daytime readings that might also be a degree or two lower than what we expect to see in Ireland, this partly because of a greater sea breeze effect from the North Sea. However, differences are likely to be subtle. Scotland will have a very settled spell of weather and it might be a good time to visit the west coast there if you have the time and inclination.

Eastern NORTH AMERICA continues to bask in temperatures more typical of late May than early March, highs well above 20 C although sea breezes kept Boston cooler today. Further west there's more cloud and the temperatures, while considerably above normal, are not as record breaking (about 14 C in Chicago for example). The west coast is unsettled and not particularly mild with temperatures right on the seasonal average today (Friday) and a bit of light rain here, highs near 10 C. Despite the recent cooler turn our spring is about a week ahead of the average pace and blossoms are near their peak around the region.

M.T. Cranium · 13-03-2016 8:47am

Sunday, 13 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with some sunny or at least brighter intervals developing, somewhat cooler near east coast due to stronger sea breezes there, but otherwise similar temperatures to yesterday, 12-14 C for a high in most areas and 10-12 C near east coast.

TONIGHT ... Cloudy with some clear intervals, lows 3-6 C.

MONDAY to THURSDAY will continue dry and with slightly more sunshine during the days although some areas will still have considerable cloud cover -- with light to moderate east winds, the east coast will remain somewhat cooler although the sea breezes may not get very far inland. Highs for most will be in the 12 to 14 C range, we may see the occasional 15 or 16 near the west coast and a few 9s or 10s near east or south coasts. Nights will be somewhat colder if skies do manage to clear more frequently, but this may not always be the case so that lows may be in a rather large range from place to place, slight frosts could occur under clear skies, but 5-7 C would be a likely minimum under cloud.

FURTHER OUTLOOK calls for this dry spell to continue with just a slight risk of isolated low cloud producing drizzle or spotty light rain, and that would be more likely in the southwest than anywhere else, but even there could amount to only trace amounts of rain. So it looks like an extended dry spell which I think will come as good news to almost everybody. Models continue to toy with the idea of a colder spell once this high either drifts far enough west or just collapses to leave a vacuum to be exploited by what is slowly developing far to the north and northeast, a large pool of very cold air that could take a run at Scandinavia in about a week from now, then in a second wave could show up over Britain and Ireland -- some maps out recently would suggest temperatures not far above freezing by day and well below freezing at night if this were to materialize (and after the bland pattern most of this winter once we got past the record warmth of December, a colder turn makes sense as blocking seems to be on the increase).

Over in BRITAIN this cool, dry spell will be even cooler for many, as the North Sea has a tendency to produce stronger sea breezes and a larger feed of low cloud that can keep daytime temperatures well below average values at times. Scotland on the other hand is under the core of high pressure with very light winds and the western coasts will enjoy some fine weather this coming week.

The warm pattern over most of NORTH AMERICA continues but an energetic front moving into the west coast states will be followed by quite chilly air from a Siberian source and this will lead to a lowering of the snow levels to about 300 metres from the current 800 metres above sea level. So in other words, rain showers will be turning to snow showers for some in that transition zone and quite extensively inland. My local weather on Saturday was showery and the high about 9 C.

M.T. Cranium · 14-03-2016 7:42am

Monday, 14 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... More sunshine is likely today, with cloud most likely to be persistent near the south coast. Light to moderate east winds will develop and bring a bit of a sea breeze chill to coastal Leinster. Highs 12-14 C for most and 10-12 C where those sea breezes develop.

TONIGHT ... Clear at times, fog or mist could develop fairly close to sunrise and isolated frost will probably occur in valleys inland. Lows -2 to +4 C.

TUESDAY ... Mixture of cloud and sunshine, moderate east winds, coastal sea breeze cooling and highs in a similar range to today, mostly 12-14 C.

WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY could be just a little warmer despite more extensive high cloud, and winds will be light although that won't necessarily prevent sea breezes from developing on all coasts. Highs 13-15 C with the warmer readings in western counties.

FURTHER OUTLOOK calls for a slow deterioration of the fine spell and timing remains uncertain (although all models seem to have roughly the same sequence), chances seem good that the settled weather could last through next weekend before eventually yielding to cold northwest winds and scattered showers (this could be ten to twelve days from now however).

My local weather was once again overcast with occasional rain, a high near 10 C, and strong south winds just missed my location as a Pacific low came in right over us, about fifty kms southeast or east of here winds gusted over 100 km/hr but they went calm for a while at my location. Like many Pacific lows, this one quickly died out when it tried climbing the coastal mountains.

M.T. Cranium · 15-03-2016 7:57am

Tuesday, 15 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Sunny with a few cloudier intervals, moderate east winds developing around mid-day, highs 12-15 C west and central, 9-11 C south and east coasts as well as in much of Ulster (Donegal more like the warmer west).

TONIGHT ... Clear with increasing high cloud, lows 1-4 C, scattered light ground frost.

WEDNESDAY to FRIDAY will continue similar although possibly somewhat more cloud than the earlier part of the week, with rather light east to northeast winds and some sea-breezes setting in from other directions, feeling quite warm inland with any sunshine and highs 13-15 C for some inland locations, 9-12 C near coasts. Overnight lows mostly in the 1-4 C range with a few slight frosts inland valleys.

FURTHER OUTLOOK calls for this settled spell to break down rather gradually through the weekend and early next week, a few showers may eventually develop in a cloudier northwest flow but the weekend will likely remain dry if rather cloudy with highs 10-12 C, moderate northwest winds, then parts of next week will have rather strong northwest winds and chilly temperatures are possible (more likely in Britain in fact there's even some chance of sea effect sleet or snow showers developing there but probably not for Ireland).

My local weather continues rather drab with mostly cloudy skies and highs close to 10 C with a few showers around.

M.T. Cranium · 16-03-2016 7:32am

Wednesday, 16 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with some sunny breaks for most, although a few places could remain cloudy all day and some parts of west Munster could see a bit more sun than cloud. Also, some very light rain or drizzle could develop in parts of north-central Leinster and east Ulster as weak remnants of some light rain over north Wales spread further west. This could interact with the sea breeze to create a chilly sea fog coming inland a few kilometres but it may also break up rather quickly. The same process may play out later in parts of the south central coast and perhaps approaching Cork although more likely Waterford to about Youghal. As a result of these rather variable conditions, highs could be near 15 C in parts of the inland west, but only 8 to 11 C near the east and south coasts, so places in between might expect perhaps 12 or 13 for their afternoon highs.

TONIGHT ... Cloudy with some clear breaks developing. lows generally 2 to 6 C with a few places slightly colder with patchy frost and some fog patches.

TOMORROW (St Patrick's Day) ... A mixture of cloud and sunshine, generally a bit warmer in the east than today, probably similar to today in the west, with highs in the range of 11 to 15 C.

FRIDAY ... Little change, cloudy with sunny intervals, lows 1-4 C and highs about 11-14 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... The only notable change over the weekend will be somewhat stronger northerly breezes, highs will remain 11-14 C and skies will remain cloudy with some sunny intervals. Latest guidance suggests that the high will try to drift back east around Monday-Tuesday returning conditions to the light winds and sea breeze regime then, but eventually this high will give up the fight altogether and sink south to allow a resumption of more typical March weather, westerly winds and occasional rain with frontal passages. That might be back in place by late next week or around ten days from now (the GFS model is showing substantial rainfall for Thursday 24th).

The pattern over BRITAIN will be similar but there does seem to be more low cloud and drizzle in the mix today and this could return on other days, not necessarily throughout the otherwise settled spell.

Severe storms developed on Tuesday south of Chicago and are dying out early this morning south of Lake Erie. This system will weaken today and produce less dramatic showers and a few thunderstorms for Ohio, and parts of the east-central states. Temperatures remain quite warm for mid-March in most of the east and closer to normal in central and southwestern regions of North America, while rather chilly in the far west. My local weather on Tuesday was overcast with scattered showers and a high of only 7 C.

M.T. Cranium · 17-03-2016 7:47am

Thursday, 17 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Sunny with cloudy intervals -- the cloud will likely be somewhat more extensive near the south coast and in parts of east Ulster and north Leinster. The light northeast breezes will tend to slacken as the core of the drifting high approaches from Scotland. This will permit sea breezes to develop on all coasts but inland it will be almost calm and warm in the sunshine. The east coast will probably feel cooler than most places. Highs could reach 14 or even 15 C inland west, but may be held to 10 or 11 C near the east coast.

TONIGHT ... Clear with a few cloudy intervals in a few locations, resulting in more extensive frosts than recent nights, lows could reach -2 C in some inland valleys, and will be in the range of 1-3 C for many places.

FRIDAY ... Sunny with cloudy intervals, light winds, highs 11-14 C.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK ... Dry weather should continue with just a slight trend to northerly breezes (20-40 km/hr), shifting the stronger sea breezes to coasts that face north, although not entirely suppressing them elsewhere. Highs will continue to reach about 12-13 C inland and 8-11 C on coasts. Overnight lows will continue to be somewhat below freezing in a few spots with scattered frosts, and otherwise 1-3 C.

MONDAY to about WEDNESDAY will continue dry and any change in the wind regime will be subtle although perhaps oriented more to northwest at first, then back to southeast breezes as the high eddies around in its dying phases. Highs will continue in the 11-13 C range and nights -2 to +3 C. Eventually, a rather sluggish frontal system will push the high away to the south and will replace it with cloud and light rain (around Thursday or possibly Good Friday.) The long-range outlook for the Easter weekend calls for unsettled weather at times and rather cool temperatures with highs not far from 10 C.

My local weather on Wednesday was sunny with cloudy intervals and dry for a change. It remained rather cool with a high of about 9 C.

M.T. Cranium · 18-03-2016 8:12am

Friday, 18 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Sunny with cloudy intervals, a sharp frost as well as isolated ground fog in many areas will gradually dissipate but it will remain cool in many places partly because of an east to northeast wind acting as a seabreeze in Leinster and the south coast. Highs may only reach 8 to 11 C in most places but could top off around 13 C in counties near Donegal Bay and in west Munster.

TONIGHT ... Another clear, quite cold night ahead, with frost inland, lows -3 to +2 C.

SATURDAY ... Partly cloudy, winds taking more of a northerly turn so that east coast sea breezes may be less of a factor and south coast could escape them, while new areas of Ulster and Connacht could be affected. Highs will be around 8 to 11 C for many and 12-13 C for some.

SUNDAY and MONDAY will bring little if any change as the high tries to push a bit further west but then gets pushed slowly back over Ireland. Some sunshine each day, sharp frosts with lows -3 to +2 C, and highs 9 to 13 C.

TUESDAY could see a general increase in cloud although this is not certain, the high could try to hold on for one or two more days. Highs 11-13 C.

OUTLOOK for later in the week ... periods of rain will develop once the high breaks down, and a southwesterly flow develops. Models then start to struggle with the details of the Easter weekend but signals for a colder turn are fading a little in favour of continued near normal temperatures and showers or intervals of light rain.

My local weather was very similar to yours on St. Patrick's Day -- clear and rather cool in a slight breeze, high of 10 or 11 C. This will continue here today. Eastern and central North America are now running fairly close to normal temperatures with a sleety mix of rain and wet snow breaking out in Kansas today, spreading later to Missouri. This will eventually fire up a rather weak east coast low that could drop snow inland from the major cities but probably just a cold rain (around Monday) in New York City and Washington D.C.

M.T. Cranium · 19-03-2016 7:39am

Saturday, 19 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Extensive low cloud this morning may be quite persistent and there could be spotty drizzle at times, but there will be breaks this afternoon, in a generally light north to northeast breeze that will feel quite chilly as highs struggle to reach 9 or 10 C. But where sunshine does develop, it could top out near 12 C.

TONIGHT ... Some clear intervals, but cloud likely to redevelop and this would probably hold minimum temperatures above freezing (2-5 C). The northern spring equinox takes place at 0432h Universal Time and this is the earliest occurrence since 1896. Will explain why at the end of the forecast.

SUNDAY ... A mixture of cloud and sunshine, with the likelihood of another cloudy start but afternoon breaks. Highs near 11 C for most, in a light and variable wind regime that will promote sea breeze development on all coasts.

MONDAY ... Partly cloudy, spotty drizzle near north coasts, lows 2-5 C and highs 9-12 C.

TUESDAY ... Overcast, dry for most, some rain could brush west coast by late in the day. Lows 3-5 C and highs 9-12 C.

WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY are now expected to be rather wet days with the potential for 20-30 mm rainfall on Thursday, moderate to strong south to southwest winds and highs 8-12 C.

OUTLOOK for the EASTER WEEKEND is not very promising, the best I can say is that we are over a week away and it could change. But for the time being, most guidance shows frequent showers or periods of rain and not very warm either, in fact some possibility of showers mixing on higher ground later Friday but most of the time temperatures should be closer to 10 C than the 3-7 C required for that mixing.

Similar outlooks although a somewhat longer dry interval before the rain sets in for BRITAIN next week.

NORTH AMERICA is now seeing colder weather spreading south and changing sleet to snow over parts of Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. This will lead to a rain-snow mix on the east coast by Sunday into Monday. The desert southwest remains very warm and sunny but further north in western regions cloud is increasing and temperatures are near normal values. My local weather on Friday was sunny with increasing high cloud and the high was a pleasant 13 degrees C.

Now, a brief explanation of why this year's equinox is so early (and it will be a few minutes earlier every four years until 2100). If every year had 365 days, the spring equinox would be about six hours earlier each year. This is why we have leap years, so that the sequence is reset. But it's not quite exactly six hours, and this became noticeable in the Middle Ages, which is why the Julian calendar was changed to the Gregorian (by dropping eleven days from September 1752, although ten days were removed in 1572 in much of Europe). So this change meant that years ending in 00 would not be leap years unless they were also divisible by 400 (like 2000 which was a leap year). The years 1800 and 1900 were not leap years and 2100 won't be either. So what this does to the sequence of equinox dates and solstice dates is to allow them to drift earlier in the year for a century but then reset them a day later three times out of four. That generally keeps the dates around when we expect them. But the system is not perfect so the dates tend to creep forward in the calendar until we come to a missing leap year. That's why we have to go back to 1896 to find an earlier vernal equinox than tonight's. The fact that 1900 was not a leap year moved the date back one day and it reset the countdown. (Today would be 20th of March if this year had not been a leap year). But every four years now until the reset in 2100, the times will be a few minutes earlier so eventually 19th of March will be the first year of spring (in 2044 and the leap years from then to 2096).

M.T. Cranium · 20-03-2016 7:59am

Sunday, 20 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... A cloudy start in almost all locations, gradually becoming a mixture of cloud and sunshine, and highs 8 to 11 C for most, in a light and variable wind regime that will promote sea breeze development on all coasts.

TONIGHT ... Cloud may not be quite as prevalent especially in the south, which may allow some scattered light frost to return, but lows of 2-5 C will be more widespread.

MONDAY ... Partly cloudy, spotty drizzle near north coasts, lows 2-5 C and highs 9-12 C.

TUESDAY ... Overcast, dry for most, some rain could brush west coast by late in the day. Lows 3-5 C and highs 9-12 C.

WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY are now expected to be rather wet days with the potential for 15-25 mm rainfall on Thursday (somewhat reduced because it appears to be moving through faster on today's guidance, expect some heavy downpours in the morning with some clearing to follow) and moderate to strong south to southwest winds with highs 8-12 C.

OUTLOOK for the EASTER WEEKEND ... Friday will bring strong winds and heavy showers, highs near 10 C. Saturday and Sunday will both be windy and rather cold with squally showers and some risk of hail or sleet on higher ground by late Sunday into Monday when winds will become more west to northwest again. Temperatures may be quite cold but the winds will make it feel even colder.

My local weather on Saturday was very pleasant, despite mostly cloudy skies, as it was calm and rather warm at 17 C. It was a perfect golfing day and finally the ground is more or less dry although water tables around here remain quite high. Light rain is moving in overnight.

M.T. Cranium · 21-03-2016 8:08am

Monday, 21 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with a few brighter intervals, spotty drizzle near northwest coasts this morning. Highs 9-12 C.

TONIGHT ... Cloudy with isolated clear breaks inland south, lows 3-7 C except possibly as low as -1 C in any clear locations which could lead to dense fog patches and locally icy roads.

TUESDAY ... Cloudy, spotty light rain near west coast but otherwise the last day of the dry spell for most. Highs 9-12 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Occasional showers, moderate south to southwest winds with lows 4-7 C and highs 10-13 C.

THURSDAY ... Morning showers or intervals of rain, briefly heavy (10-15 mm could fall) followed by blustery west winds and partial clearing. Lows 6-9 C and highs 10-13 C although falling off to about 7 C later.

GOOD FRIDAY ... A dry start to the day in the east, rather cold in blustery west backing southwest winds 50-80 km/hr, rain from early morning in the west becoming heavy at times later, winds south to southwest 70-100 km/hr. Lows near +2 on average in east, 5-8 C in west, highs throughout will reach about 12 C. Potential for 20-30 mm rain heaviest in Connacht (especially Mayo).

EASTER SATURDAY ... Showers, some clearing to follow, gusty winds from southwest, lows near 4 C and highs near 12 C.

EASTER SUNDAY ... The current outlook is not very pleasant and so I hope it improves later in the week (these things can happen) ... for the time being, it looks windy and wet with frequent showers and south to southwest winds at about 70-100 km/hr. Lows 4-7 C and highs 8-11 C.

EASTER MONDAY ... Continued rather windy and wet at times, with the risk of a more severe wind event clipping the southeast although it may be more aimed at southern Britain. Then winds likely to veer more to northwest late in the day and quite cold, frequent showers. Highs 7-10 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... There is not much sign of warm spring-like weather on the charts at any point through the next two weeks with more unsettled spells likely to follow into the first part of April and temperatures remaining a degree or more below normal values.

My local weather on Sunday was overcast with rain much of the day and the high was about 12 C. The east coast of North America has seen a mixture of light rain and melting snow that will intensify into a snowstorm for Nova Scotia and some parts of northern New England.

M.T. Cranium · 22-03-2016 8:18am

Tuesday, 22 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Cloudy with some hazy sunny breaks by mid-day and afternoon, spotty light rain near west coast at times this morning but otherwise the last day of the dry spell for most. Highs 9-12 C.

TONIGHT ... Cloudy, mist or fog patches, light rain developing in west. Lows around 5 to 7 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly to mostly cloudy with occasional showers, moderate south to southwest winds, and highs 10-13 C.

THURSDAY ... Morning showers or intervals of rain, briefly heavy (10-15 mm could fall) followed by blustery west winds and partial clearing. Lows 6-9 C and highs 10-13 C although falling off to about 7 C later. Rain may linger across the southeast during the afternoon.

GOOD FRIDAY ... A dry start to the day in the east, rather cold in blustery southwest winds 50-80 km/hr, rain from late morning in the west becoming heavy at times later, spreading to east by late afternoon or evening, winds south to southwest 70-100 km/hr. Lows near +2 on average in east, 5-8 C in west, highs throughout will reach about 12 C. Potential for 20-30 mm rain heaviest in Connacht (especially Mayo).

EASTER SATURDAY ... Heavy morning showers, some clearing to follow, gusty winds from southwest 50-80 km/hr, lows 5-8 C and highs near 12 C.

EASTER SUNDAY ... The current outlook remains unsettled -- windy and wet with frequent showers and south to southwest winds at about 70-100 km/hr. Lows 4-7 C and highs 8-11 C. There may be an interval of stormy conditions in the south and southwest towards evening.

EASTER MONDAY ... Windy and wet at times, with the risk of a more severe wind event clipping the southeast although it may be more aimed at southern Britain. Then winds likely to veer more to northwest late in the day and quite cold, frequent showers. Highs 7-10 C. The current European model guidance shows this low crossing the southeast in the early morning hours of Monday while some other guidance just keeps Ireland in a disturbed southwest flow with no strong peak in wind speeds.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... There is some chance of slight improvement later in the week but guidance is now split into two camps, one that continues the unsettled trend and one which allows high pressure to build over Britain and eastern Ireland by about Thursday.

Meanwhile, my local weather on Monday was overcast with occasional showers and the high was about 13 C. Snow has pushed north across eastern Canada into Labrador and very strong northwest winds will develop there today. Most of the eastern U.S. and southern Ontario will turn considerably warmer today in southwest winds and a mixed bag of snow, freezing rain and rain will spread across the central Great Lakes along sharply-defined warm fronts.

M.T. Cranium · 23-03-2016 7:55am

Wednesday, 23 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Partly to mostly cloudy with occasional showers, moderate south to southwest winds, and highs 10-13 C. Rainfalls only 1-3 mm.

TONIGHT ... Overcast, lows 6-9 C. Rain will move into western counties after midnight, with 5-10 mm by morning.

THURSDAY ... Morning showers or intervals of rain, briefly heavy (10-15 mm could fall) followed by westerly winds and partial clearing. Lows 6-9 C and highs 10-13 C although falling off to about 7 C later. Rain may linger across the southeast during the afternoon.

GOOD FRIDAY ... A dry start to the day in the east, rather cold in blustery southwest winds 50-80 km/hr, rain now expected to start around late afternoon in the west becoming heavy at times later, spreading to east by late evening, winds south to southwest 70-100 km/hr. Lows near +2 on average in east, 5-8 C in west, highs throughout will reach 10 to 12 C. Potential for 20-30 mm rain heaviest in Connacht (especially Mayo).

SATURDAY ... Heavy morning showers, some clearing to follow, gusty winds from southwest 50-80 km/hr, lows 5-8 C and highs near 12 C.

EASTER SUNDAY ... The current outlook remains unsettled -- windy and wet with frequent showers and south to southwest winds at about 70-100 km/hr. Lows 4-7 C and highs 8-11 C. Rain in the south by evening may become heavy at times, strong winds are currently more likely to sweep past Ireland into southern Britain overnight but this situation remains uncertain.

EASTER MONDAY ... Windy and wet at times, with the risk of a more severe wind event clipping the southeast during the early morning, although it now appears to be aimed more at southern Britain. Then winds will veer more to west-northwest late in the day and it will be quite cold with frequent showers. Lows 5-7 C and highs 7-10 C.

TUESDAY ... Cloudy with some sunny intervals, showers and quite cool with highs only 8-10 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly cloudy, isolated showers, cold. Highs 7-9 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Generally cool and unsettled as we enter the month of April.

My local weather on Tuesday was sunny for much of the day although we had blue sky to our south and dark, black storm clouds hovering over local hills to the north, so the sky was quite dramatic at times. It was warm in the sun with a high near 14 C. In eastern North America, warmer air is surging into most regions with a rain-snow mix moving slowly north in the central Great Lakes region. Highs will be close to 20 C in many eastern states today and tomorrow but it will then turn sharply colder in the Midwest late tomorrow. Meanwhile, some of us might get a glimpse of a partial lunar eclipse around 0500 Pacific time (1202h Universal Time) but of course this is daytime in regions further east so the moon will have set before that for readers in Europe and eastern North America.

M.T. Cranium · 24-03-2016 7:49am

Thursday, 24 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Morning showers or intervals of rain, briefly heavy (10-15 mm could fall) followed by westerly winds and partial clearing. Lows 6-9 C and highs 10-13 C although falling off to about 7 C later. Rain should largely end before mid-day in most places but it may linger across the southeast during the early afternoon.

TONIGHT ... Mainly dry with some clear intervals, chilly. Lows 1-3 C except around 5 C near Atlantic coasts.

GOOD FRIDAY ... A dry start to the day in the east, rather cold in blustery southwest winds 50-80 km/hr, rain now expected to start around late afternoon in the west becoming heavy at times later, spreading to east by late evening, winds south to southwest 70-100 km/hr. Highs will reach 10 to 12 C. Potential for 20-30 mm rain overnight heaviest in Connacht (especially Mayo).

SATURDAY ... Heavy morning rain tapering to showers, continuing into early afternoon in parts of north Leinster and east Ulster, with some clearing to follow, although further isolated showers possible ... gusty winds from southwest 50-80 km/hr, lows 5-8 C and highs near 12 C.

EASTER SUNDAY ... Windy and wet with frequent sometimes squally showers in south to southwest winds rising to about 70-100 km/hr. Lows 4-7 C and highs 7-10 C. Rain in the south by evening may become heavy at times, strong winds are currently more likely to sweep past Ireland into southern Britain overnight but could hit parts of the southeast around Waterford, Wexford. East to southeast winds of 50-80 km/hr will develop during the night and could gust higher briefly before veering to a westerly direction. Stronger winds are likely offshore between Ireland and Cornwall.

EASTER MONDAY ... Windy and wet at times, with the risk of a more intense wind event clipping the southeast during the early morning (southeast 50-80 veering westerly and possibly a brief interval of higher gusts) then winds will veer more to west-northwest 50-80 km/hr, and it will be quite cold with frequent showers. Lows 5-7 C and highs 7-10 C. Anyone travelling in England will encounter strong westerly winds gusting to 100 km/hr there.

TUESDAY ... Cloudy with some sunny intervals, showers and quite cool with highs only 8-10 C. Winds less blustery but continued moderate from west.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly cloudy, isolated showers, cold. Highs 7-9 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... It will remain cool and unsettled into the first few days of April with highs generally 8-11 C.

Meanwhile, a severe blizzard hit parts of Colorado and spread across the north-central plains towards Minnesota and Wisconsin. The weather remains quite warm south of an extensive frontal system that runs from Wisconsin to upstate New York, highs today will be 20-23 C in most of the eastern half of the U.S. but cold rain, sleet or snow will continue further north. My local weather on Wednesday was overcast with frequent rain and a high near 12 C.

M.T. Cranium · 25-03-2016 7:30am

Good Friday, 25 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Some sunshine to start and this may last into the early afternoon in some eastern counties, as cloud gradually increases from west to east. Rain will follow, reaching the west coast this afternoon but not until around midnight on the east coast. Winds will increase to SSW 50-70 km/hr. Highs will be 11-13 C.

TONIGHT ... Periods of rain, blustery south to southwest winds 50-70 km/hr, potential for 15-25 mm rain and lows 6-9 C.

SATURDAY ... Further showers will gradually become less frequent as winds veer to west-southwest 50 km/hr, highs 10-12 C.

EASTER SUNDAY ... Rather windy and cool with frequent showers or intervals of rain, probably more frequent in south-central and western counties where about 10 mm likely. Morning lows 3-7 C and afternoon highs 7-10 C. Winds southwest to west 50-80 km/hr.

SUNDAY NIGHT into MONDAY MORNING ... Periods of rain near the south coast with moderate east winds, stormy conditions offshore towards south Wales and Cornwall. Further north, except for some spotty light rain with a weak front in Ulster, the night may remain largely dry with moderate east winds developing near east coast. Lows 3-5 C.

MONDAY ... Becoming windy and cool with occasional rain, winds west to northwest 50-80 km/hr, highs 7-9 C. It will be windier in parts of southern and central Britain as the storm system moves into Wales then England during the day. About 5-10 mm rain in Ireland but 20-40 mm in parts of Britain.

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY will continue partly to mostly cloudy, cool with a few more showers. Lows 1-4 C and highs 7-11 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK calls for slightly milder but still unsettled conditions into early April.

My local weather on Thursday was overcast with patchy light rain around the region, and highs near 10 C. We're expecting some clearing on Friday and Saturday but rain on Easter Sunday with temperatures similar (10-13 C). Snow continued to move east across the central Great Lakes and the warm spell continued further south with highs 22-25 C in many places. There will be a slight cooling trend but the storm over Ontario now is weakening so it won't pull in much colder air, that will remain trapped behind a weaker system in the northern plains states.

M.T. Cranium · 26-03-2016 7:25am

Saturday, 26 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Further heavy rain showers this morning with gradual clearing in some western counties around mid-day but only slight improvements for eastern counties with showers becoming intermittent. Rainfalls of 10-20 mm. Highs about 11 C. Some gusty winds at times this afternoon in Connacht and Ulster mainly, westerly 50-80 km/hr there, not as windy elsewhere.

TONIGHT ... Partly cloudy, showers more isolated, lows 1-4 C.

EASTER SUNDAY ... Breezy to windy at times, cool with occasional showers, some may contain hail and produce thunder. Highs 7-10 C.

SUNDAY NIGHT into MONDAY ... Guidance is somewhat divided on whether a deep low to the southeast of Ireland will spread any of its rain and gusty winds into Wexford and nearby areas, but effects are not likely to be much greater than 5-10 mm rain and a few gusts to 70 km/hr from northeast as it passes. Lows will be 4-7 C. ... Britain will see considerably heavier rain (20-30 mm) and stronger winds (70 to 110 km/hr) arriving during Monday morning. Then as the low passes east of Wales, Ireland will have partly cloudy skies, west to northwest winds, and bands of showers but also some sunny breaks and highs 8-11 C.

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY will be partly cloudy and cool with occasional showers, winds moderate falling off to light at night when it may be cold enough for isolated frosts to develop. Lows 1-4 C and highs 8-11 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Somewhat milder but continued rather unsettled, highs in the 10-13 C range.

My local weather on Good Friday was pleasant, cloudy in the morning then sunny by afternoon with a high near 15 C.

M.T. Cranium · 27-03-2016 7:03am

Sunday, 27 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Frequent showers, one or two with hail and thunder, with gusty winds (south to southwest 50-80 km/hr) and cool, highs 7-10 C. There may be a little improvement by late afternoon and evening with a slow clearing trend.

TONIGHT ... Clear intervals with cloud mainly confined to northern counties and the southeast coastal fringes. Frost could develop in some of the central counties with lows generally -1 to +3 C. Rain seems likely to stay just offshore from Wexford on its way towards Britain tomorrow morning.

MONDAY ... Partly cloudy to start, then widespread showers developing, in a cool westerly breeze. Highs 7-10 C.

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY will be partly cloudy with a few isolated showers, some with hail, continued rather cool, lows -1 to +3 C and highs 8-11 C.

THURSDAY and FRIDAY will bring more settled conditions with some sunshine each day, slight frosts both mornings. Lows -2 to +3 C and highs 8-12 C.

OUTLOOK for WEEKEND ... Occasional light rain, highs near 11 C.

My local weather on Saturday was very pleasant, morning cloud and afternoon sunshine, warm with highs near 15 C.

Best wishes to all for Easter from MTC.

M.T. Cranium · 28-03-2016 7:44am

Monday, 28 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Some sunny intervals this morning but increasing cloud with showers advancing from Atlantic coasts although some places may remain dry. Cool with moderate westerly winds at times. Highs 8-12 C.

TONIGHT ... Clear intervals, isolated showers, slight risk of frost with lows between -1 and +3 C.

TUESDAY ... Partly cloudy, breezy, showers and cool. Highs 8-11 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Sharp morning frosts inland, then sunny with cloudy intervals, isolated showers, light winds. Lows -3 to +3 C and highs 7-10 C.

THURSDAY ... Sunny with increasing cloud by late afternoon, lows -2 to +3 C and highs 9-13 C.

FRIDAY ... Periods of rain (10-20 mm or more) and highs near 11 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Unsettled next weekend and there may be an interval of heavy rain around Sunday 3rd, highs continuing rather cool 10-12 C.

Over in BRITAIN, they are dealing with the strong winds and heavy rains of storm "Kate" which missed the southeast of Ireland last night while bringing gusts as high as 150 km/hr to Brittany, and later 120 km/hr in Sussex. This storm will be into the North Sea by tonight but it will remain very windy all day in parts of England.

My local weather on Easter Sunday started out showery then turned sunny but cool with highs near 10 C.

M.T. Cranium · 29-03-2016 7:38am

Tuesday, 29 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Frequent showers in western counties, one or two with hail and thunder, partly cloudy with isolated showers further east, moderate southwest winds 30-50 km/hr and cool with highs only 8-10 C.

TONIGHT ... Clear intervals, showers becoming more isolated, with lows -3 to +3 C. Some frost likely inland valleys.

WEDNESDAY ... Sharp morning frosts inland, then sunny with cloudy intervals, isolated showers, light winds, and highs 7-10 C.

THURSDAY ... Sunny with increasing cloud by late afternoon, lows -2 to +3 C and highs 9-13 C.

FRIDAY ... Periods of rain (15-25 mm or more) and highs near 11 C. Risk of flooding especially in parts of Connacht and west Munster.

SATURDAY ... Overcast, another interval of rain seems likely although timing is not certain yet, most probably during Saturday late afternoon or evening into the early morning of Sunday. Highs near 11 C.

SUNDAY ... Rain ending, partial clearing with highs near 12 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... There may be a few more settled days early next week but temperatures will remain rather cool for early April.

My local weather on Monday was pleasant -- sunny with a slight northerly breeze and a high of 13 C. We're expecting a warm spell this week as high pressure ridges overhead and drifts slowly to the east. It's also turning quite warm in eastern regions of North America, highs will reach 20-23 C by the end of the month.

M.T. Cranium · 30-03-2016 7:38am

Wednesday, 30 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Showers will advance once again from western counties this morning to provide hit or miss coverage of all regions later on, and one or two could once again produce hail or thunder. The westerly to northwesterly breezes today will be rather gentle, 30-50 km/hr at times but there will be intervals of slack winds, if these combine with any sunshine then it may feel warmer than the actual high temperature which will be 8 to 11 C.

TONIGHT ... Widespread clearing but still a few isolated showers persisting near west coast. Lows inland -3 to +2 C.

THURSDAY ... Morning sunshine, afternoon cloud increasing from west to east, and highs of 8 to 12 C. Winds rather light at first, then south to southwest increasing to 40-60 km/hr later.

FRIDAY ... Periods of rain from early morning in west, spreading to east by late morning or mid-day, but remaining heavier in western counties (15-25 mm potential there, 5-15 mm east). Moderate southerly winds 50-70 km/hr and highs 10-12 C.

SATURDAY ... Overcast, some fog or mist, light rain or drizzle redeveloping and becoming more of a heavy downpour by the overnight hours into Sunday morning. About 20-40 mm rain could fall in that time frame, with temperatures steady 9-12 C. Rain may be heaviest in western counties and there is some risk of flooding resuming.

SUNDAY ... Morning rain or showers slowly moving away to north with slight clearing by late in the day, lows near 7 C and highs near 13 C.

NEXT WEEK looks a bit better with several dry days and some sunshine with near normal early April daytime temperatures of 12-14 C although nights could be frosty. Rain and even wintry showers are possible later in the week in a strong northwest wind.

My local weather on Tuesday was sunny and warm with a high near 17 C.

M.T. Cranium · 31-03-2016 7:31am

Thursday, 31 March, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Sunny intervals will be more widespread, and showers more confined to Atlantic coastal counties and even there not as vigorous as recent days. Moderate westerly breezes at times but a little warmer than recently, highs 10-13 C.

TONIGHT ... Increasing cloud, rain developing near Atlantic coasts, winds southerly 40-60 km/hr. Lows 5-8 C.

FRIDAY ... Periods of rain from early morning in west, spreading to east by late morning or mid-day, but remaining heavier in western counties (15-25 mm potential there, 5-15 mm east). Moderate southerly winds 50-70 km/hr and highs 10-12 C.

SATURDAY ... Overcast, some fog or mist, light rain or drizzle redeveloping and becoming more of a heavy downpour by the overnight hours into Sunday morning. About 20-40 mm rain could fall in that time frame, with temperatures steady 9-12 C. Rain may be heaviest in west Munster and parts of Connacht, and there is some risk of flooding resuming.

SUNDAY ... Morning rain or showers slowly moving away to north with slight clearing by late in the day except near south coast where a weaker secondary disturbance may bring further light rain by evening, lows near 7 C and highs near 13 C.

MONDAY ... Some risk of rain developing again near south coast but variable cloud with isolated showers elsewhere, lows near 7 C and highs near 11 C.

OUTLOOK ... There may be a more settled interval mid-week with temperatures near normal for early April, but eventually this may give way to cooler and unsettled conditions. At some point, warmer air from central Europe may try to push west through Britain, but it does not look like a very robust warming and its influence in Ireland may be mostly felt in terms of a weak warm frontal trough with light rain and mist. Having looked at charts to about mid-April, it would appear that both temperatures and rainfall will probably be close to average overall, once we get through the wet spell in the west this weekend. Even there, rainfalls in the north and east may not be all that heavy (10-15 mm).

Meanwhile, my local weather on Wednesday was sunny and very warm, highs reached 20 C locally. It is also quite warm in the eastern half of North America but there, a sudden change to much colder weather is likely in the first two days of April. Light snow is possible by this weekend in many parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes, inland northeastern states.

M.T. Cranium · 01-04-2016 7:29am

Friday, 1 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

ALERT for heavy rainfalls over the next three or four days with the south coastal counties (notably east Cork, Waterford, Wexford and inland to Kilkenny and Carlow, south Tipperary) most at risk for flooding as 50-80 mm of rain in total could fall there by Monday. Details on timing in forecasts.

TODAY ... Intervals of rain becoming heavy at times, 15-30 mm rain possible by evening, southerly winds 50-70 km/hr, highs 10-12 C.

TONIGHT ... Some clearing in north and west, remaining overcast in south and east. Rain will end in most places but could continue in southeast. Lows with any clearing 1-3 C otherwise 5-8 C.

SATURDAY ... Rain developing from the south, becoming heavy at times in south central counties, where 20-30 mm possible. Amounts generally 10-20 mm elsewhere with the heaviest rain by late afternoon and evening. Highs about 11 C.

SUNDAY ... Some brighter intervals, but showers will develop again, not likely to be too heavy for most regions. Lows 3-5 C and highs 10-13 C.

MONDAY ... Another disturbance is now likely to approach from the south, stall and loop back around to the southwest, while dropping heavy rain across some parts of the south with 20-30 mm potential, but more of an intermittent light rain further north, 5-10 mm. Lows 4-7 C and highs 7-10 C. This is probably where the flooding risk would be greatest due to the cumulative effects of the various rainfall episodes.

TUESDAY ... Some sunny intervals, lows 2-4 C and highs 8-11 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly cloudy, some showers developing in a cold northwest wind, lows 2-4 C and highs 7-9 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... A rather weak and slow moving low will drift south across Ireland late next week and this will bring several more days of cool, possibly quite cold at times, unsettled conditions with frequent light rain showers and some hail or sleet on higher slopes. Highs will be generally confined to the 8-10 C range. Any slight change to this outlook could allow drier conditions to materialize so confidence in the unsettled detail is only moderate whereas confidence in the cooler than average part is fairly high because clearing could bring stronger risks of frost.

My local weather on Thursday was sunny and very warm with a high of 21 C. It was also very warm on the east coast of the U.S. but much colder air is moving south in central regions and will soon replace that warm air while our western warm spell will continue for a while. Snow is already falling in parts of Michigan and Wisconsin this morning, and snow showers will spread towards the east coast over the next two days although I don't expect it would snow in the larger cities on the coast, highs there will be 5-8 C and also the downsloping effects will dry out the showery northwesterly flow. Heavy lake effect snow is possible though in upstate New York, Ohio and Indiana as well as parts of central Ontario.

M.T. Cranium · 02-04-2016 7:32am

Saturday, 2 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

ALERT continues for heavy rainfalls, the focus has shifted somewhat to the southeast with Wicklow, north Wexford most likely to see the highest totals of about 40-60 mm additional by late Monday. South central and the inland south east counties as well as Dublin and Kildare are also likely to see 30-45 mm additional. Parts of the west and north may see rather slight rainfalls but there is still time for the Monday event to shift back west in later guidance.

TODAY ... Rain developing from the south, becoming heavy at times in southeast and south central counties, where 20-30 mm possible. Amounts generally 10-20 mm elsewhere with the heaviest rain by late afternoon and evening, but rain may avoid some parts of Connacht such as western Mayo. Some glimpses of sun may be possible there also, but between the clearing to the west and the rain to the east, there will be some areas in central counties that fail to reach 10 C. Highs about 11-13 C in both the rainy southeast and any partly cloudy areas around Mayo or north/west Ulster. Winds becoming moderate southeast to east with the rain, but light northerly in counties that are further west.

TONIGHT ... Light rain tapering off to drizzle in parts of Leinster and east Ulster with lows 5-8 C, partial clearing with fog patches or mist elsewhere, lows 2-5 C.

SUNDAY ... Some brighter intervals, but showers will develop again, not likely to be too heavy for most regions, with highs 10-13 C for most, but a few places could stay closer to 8 or 9 C.

MONDAY ... Another disturbance is now likely to approach from the south, stall and loop back around to the southwest, bringing moderate east to northeast winds gusting to 50 km/hr, while dropping heavy rain across some parts of the southeast as far north as Dublin-Meath and west to Waterford-Laois, with 20-30 mm potential, but more of an intermittent light rain further north and west, 5-10 mm and a few places possibly remaining outside the rainfall altogether although weak bands of showers could develop in the northerly breeze. Lows 4-7 C and highs 7-10 C. This is probably where the flooding risk would be greatest due to the cumulative effects of the various rainfall episodes.

TUESDAY ... Some sunny intervals once the remnant showers fade away in the morning, lows 2-4 C and highs 8-11 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly cloudy, some showers developing in a cold northwest wind, lows 2-4 C and highs 7-9 C.

THURSDAY and FRIDAY are currently looking windy and quite cool with passing showers, northwest winds 50-80 km/hr and highs 7-9 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... A rather weak and slow moving low will drift south across Ireland late next week and through the weekend of 9th-10th, and this will bring several more days of cool, possibly quite cold at times, unsettled conditions with frequent light rain showers and some hail or sleet on higher slopes. Highs will be generally confined to the 8-10 C range.

This same pattern will bring similar results in northern Britain but southern England will stay in a somewhat milder sector and temperatures there will sometimes be about 2-4 degrees higher.

In North America, the eastern warm spell has abruptly ended overnight and the weekend will be much cooler than last week, with passing sleety showers and snow flurries or squalls inland and off the Great Lakes. It will remain fairly warm in the west although record warmth will fade to a more average sort of temperature regime. My local weather on Friday 1st was (no joke) record breaking warm and sunny. The airport broke a record from 1941 which was a notably warm year in these parts. Inland highs reached 22 C.

M.T. Cranium · 03-04-2016 7:35am

Sunday, 3 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

The general trend in the guidance is somewhat improved in terms of total rainfalls (somewhat less flood risk) but the timing has shifted so that perhaps more rain is likely today than Monday overall. At the same time, the guidance is also very scattered from one model to another as it seems that at least some are struggling to resolve what the various weak energy centres are doing, so the basic idea is to expect intermittent rain and some flood risk although the west coast still looks relatively dry.

TODAY ... Further outbreaks of rain, some fairly heavy near the south coast and possibly in parts of south Leinster, 15-30 mm potential but closer to 5-10 mm further north, and trace amounts to 3 mm in the far west. There could be brief sunny intervals especially in Atlantic coastal counties, but overcast skies will generally prevail further east. Highs 8-11 C but 11-13 C in any areas with more prolonged sunshine.

TONIGHT ... Some further light rain but becoming drizzly and foggy in many parts, lows 5-8 C.

MONDAY ... Outbreaks of rain or showers mostly confined to Leinster and east Ulster, but some risk of a further outbreak of rain near the south coast, while partly cloudy with isolated showers further west. Highs 8-11 C.

TUESDAY ... Sunny intervals, just a few isolated showers, lows 2-4 C and highs 11-13 C.

WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY will be windy and colder with northwest winds of 50-80 km/hr at times, passing showers, and even some risk of hail or sleet (mainly on hills). Lows 1-3 C and highs 7-9 C.

FRIDAY will have a cold and possibly frosty start, then increasing cloud with a risk of rain becoming heavy in the southwest, highs near 10 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK looks rather dismal, so I am hoping it may shift before next weekend and the week beyond, at the moment the governing system is a slow-moving and meandering low pressure area that will draw in rather chilly air from Scandinavia at least into most of the country, the southeast may be in a more stagnant leftover variety of the air mass from this week. Right through to mid-April it currently looks rather cool and unsettled although amounts of rain may not be too great.

Over in Britain it is basically the same story, two weeks of rather drab and unsettled weather ahead with a very slow pace to spring if not a few steps backwards at times.

In eastern North America, it has turned very cold after a warm March, and some significant snowfalls have hit parts of the Great Lakes region. This will continue most of this week. The west will remain warmer although not as record-breaking as this past few days. Saturday in my location was sunny with a bit of a seabreeze keeping the temperatures in the mid-teens.

M.T. Cranium · 04-04-2016 7:37am

Monday, 4 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Some further outbreaks of rain in coastal and north Leinster, east Ulster bringing 10-20 mm rainfalls in those regions, just a few isolated showers elsewhere with a slow clearing trend from the west this afternoon. As a result, highs only 8-11 C in the east but could reach 12-15 C in the west.

TONIGHT ... Clear intervals, fog patches or mist but also some patchy ground frost in central counties, lows -1 to +3 C.

TUESDAY ... Sunny intervals, isolated showers but most places dry, breezy from west backing to southwest, highs 12-14 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Becoming windy and quite cold with passing showers, some of these sleety on higher terrain (in Connacht and west Ulster mainly). Winds becoming northwest 50-80 km/hr, risk of some higher gusts during the late afternoon and overnight hours into Thursday morning. Morning lows on Wednesday will be 1-4 C and afternoon highs 7-10 C.

THURSDAY ... Continued windy and cold, showers becoming less frequent with longer sunny intervals. Morning lows -2 to +3 C and afternoon highs 8-11 C.

FRIDAY ... Morning frosts, then increasing cloud, rain developing and becoming rather heavy in Munster and south Connacht. Lows -2 to +3 C east and north, 3-7 C south and west. Highs 10-13 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Frequent light rain, winds mostly from east to northeast and temperatures a bit below normal in the daytime although holding fairly mild at night.

My local weather on Sunday was cloudy with a few sunny intervals, but light rain has developed during the evening. Eastern North America continues to see very cold temperatures and locally heavy snowfalls although much warmer air over the plains states pushed into the Midwest briefly, this will now be pushed out into the Atlantic as a developing snowstorm heads towards New England later today, Boston could see 15 cms of snow. This seems likely to be a sleety mix in New York and will slide north of Philadelphia and Washington although they will turn quite cold once the storm reaches the Atlantic.

M.T. Cranium · 05-04-2016 7:47am

Tuesday, 5 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Sunny intervals, isolated showers of generally short duration, but most places dry, breezy from west backing to southwest 30-50 km/hr, with highs 12-14 C.

TONIGHT ... Breezy, showers, lows 2-6 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Becoming windy and quite cold with passing showers, some of these sleety on higher terrain (in Connacht and west Ulster mainly). Some prolonged showers in counties near Donegal Bay with 10-15 mm potential there, only 2-5 mm generally in most other regions. Winds becoming northwest 50-80 km/hr, risk of some higher gusts during the late afternoon and overnight hours into Thursday morning, highs 7-10 C.

THURSDAY ... Continued windy and cold, although winds abating somewhat by afternoon, as showers become less frequent with longer sunny intervals. Morning lows -2 to +3 C and afternoon highs 8-11 C.

FRIDAY ... Morning frosts possible in Ulster and north Leinster, then increasing cloud, rain developing and becoming rather heavy in Munster and south Connacht, spreading gradually into Leinster and Ulster, amounts generally in the 10-20 mm range. Some fog and low cloud will accompany this rain. Morning lows -2 to +3 C east and north, 3-7 C south and west. Highs 10-13 C.

SATURDAY ... Cloudy , light rain at times, but also some dry intervals, lows near 5 C and highs near 11 C.

SUNDAY ... Rain at times, becoming rather windy and turning a bit colder as winds become east to northeast 30-50 km/hr. Lows near 5 C and highs near 11 C.

NEXT WEEK continues to look rather cool and moist although there will always be some chance of dry intervals in east to northeast winds. Highs for most of next week are not likely to be much warmer than 10-12 C. There could be one or two days that fail to reach 10 C if it remains overcast.

My local weather on Monday was partly cloudy and relatively warm at 15 C. Snow has come and gone in New England and the storm is now well out to sea moving south of Nova Scotia. It will remain unseasonably cold in the eastern U.S. and Canada with a brief warming mid-week followed by even colder temperatures by the weekend as the upper level steering pattern becomes what we call "high amplitude" sending the jet stream into the arctic around the Yukon and then dropping it back towards the southeastern U.S. -- even at the Masters golf location (Augusta, GA) temperatures are likely to be quite chilly (10-15 C daytime) with frequent showers and some risk of hail.

M.T. Cranium · 06-04-2016 7:22am

Wednesday, 6 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Windy and feeling very cold as winds increase to westerly 50-80 km/hr with frequent passing showers, quite prolonged and heavy in parts of Connacht (10-15 mm), not quite as unsettled elsewhere but with the risk of some heavy downpours of rain or even sleet or hail. Highs only 7-9 C and the wind will make that feel more like 2-4 C.

TONIGHT ... A very windy period will develop as a sharply defined trough races southeast across Ulster and Leinster. Expect some gusts from northwest to about 100 km/hr. Wintry showers on higher terrain, mixed rain and hail on lower ground. Temperatures steady about 3-4 C.

THURSDAY ... The strong winds will gradually moderate while remaining quite cold and blustery (northwest 40-70 km/hr by afternoon). More wintry showers are likely on higher ground, passing rain or hail showers closer to sea level. Amounts will generally be about 3-5 mm. Highs 7-11 C with the slightly milder trend more reserved for west Munster.

FRIDAY ... A cold start especially under clear intervals in Ulster and north Leinster, scattered frost there and lows -2 to +3 C, but cloud and rapidly approaching rain will create a slow increase in temperatures for the south and west during the early morning to about 7 C. Then this rain and rather blustery winds (southeast veering rapidly to westerly 50-80 km/hr) will quickly overspread all regions for a few hours with fog on hills, 10-20 mm rain and highs reaching 10 C. It will then turn colder again in the afternoon and wintry showers could arrive from the Atlantic by late in the day.

SATURDAY ... Variable cloud, showers or outbreaks of light rain, risk of sleet on hills, chilly. Lows 2-4 C and highs 7-10 C.

SUNDAY ... Risk of heavy rain at times (15-30 mm potential) and gusty southeast to east winds 50-80 km/hr. Lows 4-7 C and highs 7-10 C.

OUTLOOK for NEXT WEEK calls for unsettled cool weather to continue with mainly east to northeast winds and temperatures steady in a narrow range unless there's any brief clearing, around 5-10 C.

I should apologize for making you read that so early in the day, but spring months tend to show higher variability so there's some hope for May turning out better.

Across most of North America, a brief break in the unseasonable cold spell today will quickly be pushed out to sea tonight as another very chilly arctic high drops south and sends wintry conditions as far south as the Tennessee valley. It will be somewhat less extreme in Georgia for the Masters golf tournament but considerably cooler than normal (which is about 24 C), more like 12-15 C each day, with a risk of passing showers but some sunshine too, then perhaps 20 C by Sunday which currently looks like a mostly sunny day. While that's happening in the south, the Great Lakes and Ohio valley will experience more April snow and sub-freezing temperatures this weekend. The west will generally be much warmer, although today (Tuesday) was chilly on the west coast with showers and a high of about 9 C.

M.T. Cranium · 07-04-2016 7:52am

Thursday, 7 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Moderate northwest winds will continue with blustery conditions in exposed areas but a slow improvement for other places (northwest 40-70 km/hr). A few passing rain or hail showers will continue to move across the country although more frequent near Atlantic coasts, amounts will generally be about 3-5 mm. Highs 7-11 C with the slightly milder trend more reserved for west Munster.

TONIGHT ... Clear intervals and scattered ground frost in east Ulster and north Leinster, lows -2 to +3 C. Cloudy with rain after midnight for south and west, temperatures around 3-5 C at first then rising to 7 C.

FRIDAY ... A cold start especially under clear intervals in Ulster and north Leinster, scattered frost there and lows -2 to +3 C, but cloud and rapidly approaching rain will create a slow increase in temperatures for the south and west during the early morning to about 7 C. Then this rain and rather blustery winds (southeast veering rapidly to westerly 50-80 km/hr) will quickly overspread all regions for a few hours with fog on hills, 10-20 mm rain and highs reaching 10 C. It will then turn colder again in the afternoon and wintry showers could arrive from the Atlantic by late in the day.

SATURDAY ... Variable cloud, showers or outbreaks of light rain, risk of sleet on hills, chilly. Lows 2-4 C and highs 7-10 C.

SUNDAY ... Risk of heavy rain at times especially in south coastal counties (15-30 mm potential), possibly somewhat drier in the north at least until late afternoon, and gusty southeast to east winds 50-80 km/hr developing in most counties around mid-day. Lows 4-7 C and highs 8-11 C.

OUTLOOK for NEXT WEEK calls for unsettled cool weather to continue with mainly east to northeast winds and temperatures steady in a narrow range unless there's any brief clearing, raising this range slightly to 7-12 C as the south may have a slightly milder southeast flow at times, but any prolonged showery intervals could be associated with lower temperatures and sleet on hills as colder air aloft mixes down.

My local weather on Wednesday was overcast until mid-afternoon and then the sun came out to boost highs to about 15 C. Today (meaning Thursday) is expected to produce record warmth close to 25 C and this may continue through the weekend.

M.T. Cranium · 08-04-2016 7:07am

Friday, 8 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Rain will sweep across the country this morning and should end during the afternoon in the east. Amounts will be 5-15 mm and winds will be veering rapidly from south 40-60 km/hr to westerly 50-70 km/hr. There may be a slight clearing trend but further showers, some becoming wintry, will follow. Highs 8-11 C with slowly falling temperatures during the afternoon.

TONIGHT ... A few more wintry showers, but also a clearing trend inland and east, scattered frost likely, quite cold with lows -2 to +2 C.

SATURDAY ... Sleet or wet snow may develop across parts of the inland south and more certainly on hills in Munster. Generally dry further north with isolated wintry showers, cold and bright there. Highs 5-8 C.

SUNDAY ... Early morning sleet or heavy wet snow possible especially on higher terrain in Munster, some falls of 5-10 cms possible but mainly above 200 metres above sea level. This wintry precipitation will push northwest into parts of Connacht mid-day as temperatures rise slowly in Munster. Heavy rain will follow on strong east-southeast winds, some parts of Cork and Waterford may see 50 mm rainfalls and localized flooding. Temperatures will rise slowly all day from morning lows of 1-3 C to afternoon or evening highs of 8-11 C. Only small amounts of rain or sleet are likely in many parts of Leinster and Ulster. Winds southeast 40-70 km/hr but possibly some gusts to 100 km/hr in a few parts of the south coast.

MONDAY ... Further outbreaks of heavy rain in moderate southeast winds, somewhat milder, lows 4-7 C and highs 9-12 C.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Unsettled, temperatures closer to normal values.

Over in BRITAIN, the weather will generally be less unsettled as the low pressure areas will be closer to Ireland, but it will be quite cloudy this weekend with a few outbreaks of light rain here or there.

My local weather set records for warmth all over British Columbia and the Pacific northwest states. It was about 20 C in sunshine where I live, partially moderated by a sea breeze, 25 C inland here, and as high as 32 C near Portland (at Kelso WA). This warmth extends into the central regions but much colder air is moving south into the Midwest, Great Lakes and northeastern U.S. At the Masters golf site (Augusta, GA) some of this colder air will arrive today and it may get quite windy at times with the risk of brief showers. This will continue tomorrow then Sunday will be a more settled day.

M.T. Cranium · 09-04-2016 6:39am

Saturday, 9 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Some bright intervals and cold mostly north and east this morning, as sleety showers develop across parts of south and west, heavy wet snow is possible inland especially on hills above 200 metres above sea level but occasionally lower as well. (note: This weekend will bring very poor conditions for hill climbing in the south.) ... Rain or melted equivalents 5-15 mm, a few locations mostly fairly high in Cork, Limerick, Kerry and possibly Galway-Mayo could see 5-10 cm snowfalls, and there will be some risk of thunder and heavy hail showers in various parts of the country, with highs 6-9 C.

TONIGHT ... Further sleety falls including some snow inland south and west, largely dry east and north, in raw east to southeast winds 40-60 km/hr, lows will range from 2 C south coast to -2 C inland north.

SUNDAY ... Windy and cold with the sleety mix gradually becoming all rain at most elevations below higher summits. Winds east to southeast 50-80 km/hr will add quite a chill to temperatures steady 5-7 C. About 40-60 mm of rain could fall in parts of Cork and Kerry, 20-40 mm from Waterford to Clare and south Galway, but many other counties further east and north could remain largely dry. Somewhat milder by evening near the south coast.

MONDAY ... Another surge of moderate to heavy rain could bring 10-30 mm to parts of the south, and temperatures will continue to edge upward in southeast winds of 40-60 km/hr, lows 3-5 C and highs 7-10 C (possibly near 12 C southwest).

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Rather cloudy most of next week with a little more rain at times, and another risk for heavier rain around Friday with another strong low forming near the south coast. Temperatures will be steady in the 7-11 C range most of the time.

My local weather on Friday was once again sunny and very warm with a high close to 20 C. A mixture of rain and snow is falling across the Great Lakes region at this point. Marquette, Michigan (on the Lake Superior shore) has seen over a metre of snow in April after a generally less snowy winter than is normal there. This is partly because of the mild winter since Lake Superior generally failed to freeze over as is normal by late in the winter.

M.T. Cranium · 10-04-2016 7:41am

Sunday, 10 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

ALERT for heavy rainfalls in west Munster, especially Cork, Kerry, parts of Waterford, Tipperary and Limerick, 40 to 60 mm possible, accompanied by gusty winds and some further snow on hills mainly.

TODAY ... Windy and cold with rain becoming heavy at times across south and west Munster with 40-60 mm possible. Winds east to southeast 50-80 km/hr will add quite a chill to temperatures steady 5-8 C. Rainfall amounts will decrease steadily further north and many counties further east and north than a Dublin to Mayo line could remain largely dry. Somewhat milder by evening near the south coast, foggy.

TONIGHT ... Heavier rain pushing off to the west from Clare and Galway, some scattered outbreaks of light rain or drizzle elsewhere, lows 3-5 C as southeast winds ease somewhat to 30-50 km/hr.

MONDAY ... Another surge of moderate to heavy rain could bring 10-30 mm to parts of the east, central and later the northern counties, and temperatures will continue to edge upward in southeast winds of 40-60 km/hr, highs 7-10 C (possibly near 12 C southwest).

TUESDAY ... Rain becoming light to moderate and mainly confined to north, 10 to 15 mm. Variable cloud elsewhere. Lows 3-5 C and highs 9-11 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly cloudy, isolated showers, lows 1-4 C and highs 9-12 C.

THURSDAY and FRIDAY may bring a return to rain and strong southeast winds as remnants of the weekend system circle around for a second try. In fact, the extended outlook shows this pattern continuously reloading with temperatures seldom outside the narrow range being established this week. At least with a blocking scenario, there is some hope for an equal and opposite blocking high regime in May.

The weather in BRITAIN won't be a lot better either with some of the moisture spreading across the south, Scotland will generally be somewhat more settled until late in the week.

Eastern NORTH AMERICA continues to be much colder than normal but somewhat milder air is spreading in now, and the west continues very warm. My local weather on Saturday was sunny with a high near 18 C.

M.T. Cranium · 11-04-2016 7:54am

Monday, 11 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... New outbreaks of rain will be mainly confined to the north-central counties today where 10-20 mm seems likely, further south only a few brief showers and some opportunity for drying in partly to mostly cloudy conditions and milder temperatures of about 12-14 C. in moderate east winds 30-50 km/hr, and highs of 8-11 C.

TONIGHT ... Rain continuing in north-central counties, 5-15 mm likely. Foggy and milder than recent nights in south, lows for most regions 5-8 C.

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY will bring somewhat drier conditions with the rain fading to showers in the north and just isolated showers elsewhere. Lows 5-8 C and highs 10-13 C.

THURSDAY and FRIDAY are now expected to avoid the repeat incursion of rainfall as the low is now more likely to shift east to Britain on its second rotation -- this may spare most if not all counties from anything more than scattered showers with temperatures slowly falling each day to about 8-10 C by Friday in east to northeast winds of 30-50 km/hr.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... Colder with some further dry weather possible as arctic high pressure tries to push south, but the models do show a gradual return to the current pattern of a moist southeast flow, indicating the return of rain and gusty winds by about the middle of next week (around Wed 20th). At this time frame, we cannot be very confident about solutions especially when there has been such a shift from day to day.

My local weather on Sunday was partly sunny and a little cooler due to a stronger sea breeze, high was about 14 C.

M.T. Cranium · 12-04-2016 7:43am

Tuesday, 12 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Rain will continue to push further north while amounts decrease to about 5-15 mm for parts of north Connacht and west and north Ulster, highs near 10 C. Further south, some sunny breaks, isolated showers and mild with highs 12-14 C.

TONIGHT ... Mist patches, some clear intervals, light ground frost possible well inland, lows 1-4 C.

WEDNESDAY ... Partly to mostly cloudy, isolated showers, some heavier in parts of west Munster. Highs 11-13 C.

THURSDAY ... Cloudy, outbreaks of light rain moving north, heavier in some western counties but generally 3-7 mm, lows 2-5 C and highs 11-13 C.

FRIDAY ... Overcast, colder, some outbreaks of light rain that may become sleety in north, but risk of a period of heavier rain across the south, guidance remains a bit scattered on details ... Winds becoming northeast 40-60 km/hr and highs 8-10 C south, 5-8 C north.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK ... Quite cold with the risk of sleet especially on hills in eastern counties, some sunny intervals, lows -3 to +2 C and highs 5 to 9 C. Northeast to north winds of 30-50 km/hr adding a chill factor. There is some chance of snow in the mix, but precipitation in general is not looking very heavy whatever form it takes.

FURTHER OUTLOOK ... A more settled week is looking possible now, with continued frosts but some warming during the daytime hours.

My local weather on Monday was overcast and chilly with a high of about 10 C.

M.T. Cranium · 13-04-2016 6:43am

Wednesday, 13 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Outbreaks of rain will be mostly confined to west Munster and later parts of south and west Connacht, with the risk of some thundery showers developing in those regions by afternoon. Amounts 5-15 mm. Most other regions will be partly cloudy after the morning fog lifts, with more isolated showers possible but some places remaining dry. Highs 11-14 C.

TONIGHT ... Rain in west should end as drizzle and mist, widespread fog or low cloud redeveloping throughout and lows 2-5 C.

THURSDAY ... Just a few isolated showers but staying mostly dry and partly to mostly cloudy with highs 10 to 13 C.

FRIDAY ... Some outbreaks of light rain possible near south coast although this system could remain largely offshore heading towards Wales, also a band of showery precipitation dropping slowly south from Ulster by afternoon with increasing risk of wintry showers over higher terrain as it turns somewhat colder. Lows 3-7 C then highs 10-13 C south but 7-10 C north, temperatures falling steadily in all regions by evening. Winds becoming northeast 40-60 km/hr.

SATURDAY ... Cold with scattered wintry showers, mostly over higher terrain and more likely in north and around higher parts of south Leinster. Some morning frosts possible with lows -2 to +3 C. Winds northeast 50-70 km/hr adding some chill to daytime readings of 6 to 9 C. Sunny breaks more frequent near south and west coasts.

SUNDAY ... Variable cloud, just a few isolated showers and turning a bit milder as winds back into north then northwest, lows -2 to +3 C and highs 9-12 C.

OUTLOOK ... Several dry days appear likely next week, guidance is somewhat divided on how long this dry spell might last but at least Monday and Tuesday should remain dry with some sunshine and reasonably mild temperatures reaching 11-14 C.

My local weather on Tuesday was overcast with a few very light showers and highs near 12 C. The cold spell in eastern regions of North America is about to break down and temperatures will return to the more normal 14-18 C range.

M.T. Cranium · 14-04-2016 7:56am

Thursday, 14 April, 2016

Forecasts for Ireland

TODAY ... Some further rain in the inland southeast will drift west and cover some parts of west Munster by afternoon, amounts will be 3-7 mm. Many other regions will be either dry or almost dry with cloud sometimes breaking to partly sunny skies, in light east to northeast winds. Highs 10-13 C.

TONIGHT ... Mostly cloudy, a few sleety showers developing in north, winds northeast 30-50 km/hr. Lows 4 to 7 C.

FRIDAY ... Some outbreaks of light rain possible near south coast although this system could remain largely offshore heading towards Wales, also a band of showery precipitation dropping slowly south from Ulster by afternoon with increasing risk of wintry showers over higher terrain as it turns somewhat colder. After morning lows 4-7 C highs will reach 11-13 C south but only about7-10 C north, with temperatures falling steadily in all regions by evening. Winds becoming northeast 40-60 km/hr.

SATURDAY ... Cold with scattered wintry showers, mostly over higher terrain and more likely in north and around higher parts of south Leinster. Some morning frosts possible with lows -2 to +3 C. Winds north-northeast 50-70 km/hr adding some chill to daytime readings of 6 to 9 C. Sunny breaks more frequent near south and west coasts. Snow could fall on higher slopes.

SUNDAY ... Variable cloud, just a few isolated showers and turning a bit milder as winds back into north then northwest, lows -2 to +3 C and highs 9-12 C.

OUTLOOK ... Most of the guidance features a dry pattern next week although one model (GFS) breaks this down around Thursday with low pressure from the south, so while optimistic for some improvement, it's not quite a sure thing yet, although two to three dry days do seem quite likely anyway. Temperatures would be near mid-April normal values of 11-14 C by day, but nights will continue to be rather chilly.

The only significant difference in the outlook for BRITAIN is that Saturday will feature stronger northerly winds as low pressure continues to deepen while crossing the south in the early morning hours. There could be some wind-driven rain for part of Saturday in southeast England.

My local weather on Wednesday was overcast with occasional showers and rather chilly at about 11 C.

Your daily forecasts from Boards.ie weather forum (NO CHAT)

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