Cold snap set to bring temperatures as low as minus 3

A cold snap is set to fall over the country early in the week with low temperatures of -3 degrees forecast for Sunday night.Temperatures of -3 degrees to 1 degree are forecast for late Sunday into the early hours of Monday morning. Met Éireann forecaster Deirdre Lowe said: “Tomorrow night is going to be a cold night with widespread frost, icy patches ... sort of calm conditions. “Temperatures down to between 2 degrees and -2 or -3 degrees, maybe even a bit lower in some of the midland and northeastern parts of the country. READ MORE“It will get a bit less cold in the southwest towards morning. That’s ahead of wet and windy weather that’s going to move up over the country during the course of Monday, but it won’t reach the northeast until later in the day.”She said the frost and icy patches are likely to persist for the morning rush hour on Monday. “For the bulk of the country it will be a very frosty, icy start with temperatures below freezing,” Lowe said. “The frost should clear and there’ll be sunny spells, but then it’s going to turn wet and windy from the southwest during the day. “By the time the rain reaches Ulster in the evening, it could fall as hail or snow for a while before it turns back to rain. It’s going to be windy as well.”Lowe said the sleet and wintry showers are likely to be “very isolated”. Asked about the chance of widespread snow for the country, she said “it’s not going to happen next week”. “There’s still cold air hanging on in the northeast. The rain, wet and windy weather moves up from the southwest on Monday, Monday evening. It could fall as sleet or snow on the hills, but it will quickly turn back to rain. So it’ll just be a very short-lived event.”She said Tuesday and Wednesday should have average temperatures, but will not be “desperately cold”.