The weather is about to turn a lot colder, dropping as low at -3 over the weekend.

Tomorrow – New Year’s Eve – will be cloudy and breezy but dry in most places, Met Éireann says. However, rain will spread through northern countries as the day progresses, turning heavy tomorrow evening.

It will start to turn colder everywhere late tomorrow evening. Scattered showers will affect western and northern counties later in the night and some are likely to be wintry on northern hills. Persistent and at times heavy rain will clear southwards on Saturday night.

Some frost is expected towards dawn, especially in sheltered places, with temperatures falling close to zero.

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day will be cold, though with good sunshine. There will be scattered showers in coastal counties and some will be wintry on higher ground, especially in the north and east. Top temperatures will reach just 5C to 7C, with fresh winds.

New Year’s night (Sunday) will be bitingly cold with a widespread severe frost and with temperatures as low as -3C. Most places will be dry and clear, though.

It will stay cold on Monday and Tuesday, with afternoon temperatures of between 4C and 8C. There will be severe frosts at night over the midlands and south.

Milder weather – and rain – looks set to return on Wednesday and Thursday.