IT’S TIME TO get the winter coat out as “bitterly cold” conditions are on the way later this week. 

A wet day is in store for some counties today as a Status Yellow rainfall warning for Connacht, Donegal, Clare and Kerry kicks in at 2pm. It will remain valid until 2pm tomorrow. 

Met Éireann as warned that heavy rain may cause some river and localised flooding. 

Heavy rain tonight will persist into tomorrow, wettest in the western half of the country in the morning and later in the day across the eastern half. 

Tomorrow night is set to turn cold with frost and a few icy stretches. Lowest temperatures will range between 0 and 5 degrees. 

The frost will clear on Wednesday, giving way to a mostly dry day with long spells of Autumn sunshine. 

However, the conditions will turn cold again after dark, with widespread frost, mist and fog. Temperatures are forecast to drop as low as -3 degrees. 

Again, Thursday will be a mostly dry and calm day, with cold conditions persisting. Temperatures will drop to as low as -3 degrees on Thursday night. 

Met Éireann has warned that Friday will be “bitterly cold” with highest temperatures generally ranging between just 3 and 6 degrees. 

The forecaster said the current indications suggest that whilst temperatures will recover this weekend, it will, however, stay cooler than normal with some further frosts.