AN ALL TOO brief moment of sunshine last week is now long forgotten as Ireland has been plunged into a bothersome cold spell that looks set to linger for quite some time.

Wrap up well on your walks over the next few days as temperatures are forecast to remain in single digits even during the warmest part of the day.

Today is actually a high-point as most of the country will remain dry and there will be occasional sunny spells in parts.

However, temperatures will drop this evening and Met Éireann says it will turn “wintry” at times in the north. Munster and Leinster will avoid the worst of the cold today, but lowest temperatures will drop to two-four degrees celsius.

Tomorrow is forecast to be a colder day and, while there will be occasional sunny spells, some showers will turn heavy with hail and an isolated risk of thunderstorms. Snow will also fall on higher ground later in the day.

Things will take a turn for the worse at the weekend with Met Éireann forecasting some “unseasonably very cold weather” due to an arctic air mass becoming re-established over the country.

Wintry showers will be widespread on Saturday, though there will also be good spells of sunshine earlier in the day.

Later on, rain, hail and sleet will sweep down from the north and become more widespread in the afternoon and early evening. There’ll also be thunderstorms and some flurries of snow, particularly over hills and mountains.

The showers will become more isolated on Sunday though some wintry downpours will remain. The rain is set to become isolated as the day goes on. It will be an extremely cold night, with widespread sharp, locally severe, frosts.

Temperatures will continue to remain below average early next week but it will become less cold from Monday and the widespread night-time frosts will abate.