Ireland is in for a weather shock on Tuesday night as temperatures are set to plunge, with a risk of frost despite it being the so-called summer season.

After a day of mixed skies and scattered showers on Tuesday, thermometers are expected to dip sharply after dark, leaving parts of the country facing an unseasonal chill.

Gardeners and farmers are being warned to take precautions, as sensitive plants could be caught out by the cold snap.

(Photo by Mykola Tys/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Clearer skies overnight will allow temperatures to fall even further, with some areas flirting with near-freezing conditions, a rare twist for this time of year.

The shock drop comes as many were expecting milder, brighter conditions, but instead Ireland looks set to shiver through the night before temperatures recover again tomorrow.

So don’t pack away the winter layers just yet; summer might be on the calendar, but it’s certainly not in the air.

Pic: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

And it’s not just Ireland which will see the colder weather this week, in general, it’s going to be a cooler start to May for many parts of Europe, and it looks likely to stay cool up to around mid-May, but uncertainty beyond the weekend.

According to Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather, the outlook for the week ahead is unsettled, but tonight will see an unusual dip in temperatures.