Widespread fog expected with status yellow warning in place for eight counties

A fog warning has been issued for eight counties. File picture: Denis Minihane.

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow fog warning for eight counties on Sunday.

The warning has been in place since 4am and will be in place until 10am.

Met Éireann has warned of “widespread fog” and “impaired visibility” for all of Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford.

Status Yellow - fog warning ⚠️for Connacht &
Status Yellow - fog warning ⚠️for Cavan, Monaghan, Longford

For all active warnings, please click on the tab for each day ➡️https://t.co/l8JdKfwZt9 pic.twitter.com/1FjoNt17mP

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) April 3, 2021

Meanwhile, arctic cold air is set to blow in on Sunday, bringing a risk of snow and sleet.

Low temperatures of minus one to three degrees can be expected on Sunday evening with frost in places.

Met Éireann meteorologist, Matthew Martin, said: “Easter Sunday will start dry with sunshine for most and whilst southern areas will continue to enjoy a dry and bright day, a cold front will introduce cloud and rain across the northern half of the country through the afternoon – it’s this cold front that opens the gates to very cold air from the Arctic from Easter Sunday night and through much of next week” Sunday night will see temperatures fall to as low as minus one, with frost appearing in places.

Any mist and fog will clear later on Easter Sunday “to give [a] generally dry day with the best of the sunshine across southern counties”.

Sunday night will see a return to showers with some outbreaks of rain in the north.

Temperatures could drop to below freezing with the lowest ranging from minus one to four degrees.

Easter Monday will be “cold and breezy with cloud clearing south to leave sunny spells and scattered showers”, according to Met Éireann.

Some of those showers could turn wintery in Ulster and Connacht, while it will be a much cooler day with temperatures around eight degrees.

Monday night will see more scattered showers and freezing temperatures.

Met Éireann has said: “Frost and icy patches will develop as temperatures fall to between minus three and plus one degrees with winds backing northwesterly and easing mostly light.”

Elsewhere, a status orange forest fire warning has been issued for the weekend by the Department of Agriculture.

The warning comes after weather patterns deemed that a high fire risk exists “in all areas where hazardous fuels such as dead grasses and shrub fuels such as heather and gorse exist”.

The warning is set to be in place until midday on Tuesday.