Instead of soaring summer temperatures, Ireland is bracing itself for hail storms and frost, forecasters have said.

A mid-May frost is on the way as Ireland’s national weather service warns the country will be experiencing four seasons of weather in one week.

Met Eireann predict that the coming days will bring "cool and unsettled weather" with temperatures "well below average" for the time of year.

They have also advised there will be very cool and unsettled conditions for the rest of the week with heavy and persistent rain along the east coast expected on Friday.

In April, rainfall was above average nearly everywhere, with most mean air temperatures reported to be the lowest in at least 11 to 23 years.

“The main hallmark of the Irish weather is its undependability,” says Peter Lynch, professor of meteorology at University College Dublin.

“Long spells of beautiful settled weather are just not typical,” he told the Irish Times.

Last year, Met Eireann experts confirmed that the country experienced the coldest July in 50 years.