THERE ARE FEWER than three days left until the start of May, but temperatures are set to dip below freezing in some areas tonight.

Met Éireann forecasts that there will be a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers this afternoon. Heavy showers will mostly affect much of Munster and Ulster with a risk of hail and thunder.

Elsewhere it’ll be mostly dry with scattered showers and highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees.

Tonight, showers will gradually die out and cold weather will set in with clear spells.

There will be lowest temperatures of -1 to 3 degrees with a sharp frost mainly in rural areas. Some patches of mist and shallow fog are expected around dawn also.

Tomorrow morning will be cold and dry with sunny spells, with any frost or fog clearing early. It will be a similar day with scattered showers at first, but rain becoming more widespread as the day continues.

Sunday night will also see temperatures dip slightly below freezing, with some rural grass frost.

The weather is set to remain cool and changeable throughout the week – with a breezy, cool day forecast for the first of May.