With the long weekend ahead of us, the nation is gearing up for yet another cold snap.

Sunday may be the first day of April but that doesn't mean we can expect spring temperatures. It's set to get chillier from tonight onwards and remain cool for the rest of the week. Met Éireann has said that today will be cool, windy and showery and that the rain will be particularly heavy in the north and northwest of the country. It's predicted to be a little drier in the southeast with daytime temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees in strong winds. Tonight, there's a risk of hail or sleet on higher ground and scattered showers are forecast. We can expect mist and fog patches and temperatures are set to dip to between zero and +3 degrees. It'll be wet and windy for the rest of the week, though there'll be clear spells between the showers. Wednesday sees the start of heavy showers and frost with temperatures predicted to drop to as low as -2 overnight. Frost and ice are expected to clear early Thursday morning with sunny spells developing, however, rain is still expected in parts of Munster and Leinster. While Friday we can expect some more bright spells, there will still be rain at times. As for the weekend, Met Éireann predictions so far look like this: "Present indications point to cool weather, with moderate northeast to northerly breezes. "Some dry, bright spells each day, but cloudy periods too, with some passing showers. Cold at night, with frost in many places."