Temperatures will drop as low as -4C in parts of the country this week.

And as the daffodils do their best to bloom through the frost and ice, Met Éireann reports that spring is at least another week away.

Today will be cold with a moderate to fresh westerly wind bringing sunshine and showers, widespread in the afternoon and wintry at times with a risk of hail and thunder. Temperatures will fall to between minus 1 and plus 2 degrees tonight in Cork, with frost and ice forming once again.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, with see any frost and ice clear slowly and temperatures rise to 6 or 7 degrees at best. There’ll be isolated showers in the morning, becoming more frequent in the afternoon.

“The outlook for Tuesday night is for a dry and clear night with a sharp to severe frost.” said a Met Éireann forecaster.

“Winds will fall light southwesterly or variable and temperatures are expected to reach as low as minus 4 degrees inland.

‘Well below freezing’

“Wednesday will be mostly dry, with a risk of isolated showers, and at times turning cloudier in the south with a risk of patchy rain there later. Winds will be light southwest or variable and temperatures in the north will be 5 or 6 degrees at best, up to 7 or 8 degrees in the south. It’ll be another cold night on Wednesday night with temperatures once again well below freezing overnight.”

Thursday and Friday will be cold with temperatures near freezing at night and icy stretches likely.

There’s some proper spring weather in sight though; forecasters say a warm front is expected to reach Ireland by the weekend, leading to an increase in temperatures over Saturday and Sunday.