Cork weather: Met Éireann warns tonight could be 'the coldest night of the winter so far'
Macroom, The Gearagh, on January 04. The bitterly cold weather the country is experiencing at present is set to continue, with Met Éireann warning that tonight could be "the coldest night of the winter so far". Picture: David Creedon / Anzenberger
The bitterly cold weather the country is experiencing at present is set to continue, with Met Éireann warning that tonight could be "the coldest night of the winter so far".
Whilst temperatures could plummet to as low as -7 degrees in the west and north tonight, Munster will likely experience lowest temperatures of between -1 and -3 degrees.
Tuesday night looks set to be the coldest night of the winter so far. Temps will fall to -5 to -7°C in the west & north 🥶🥶
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 4, 2021
The lowest temperature of the winter to now was recorded in Roscommon last Saturday night, falling to -5.9°C
Lows of -2 or -3°C will be widespread tonight. pic.twitter.com/RZ4EvRGzpM
The national forecaster has said it will be "bitterly cold" with "widespread sharp or severe frost and ice".
It is expected to remain mostly dry in Cork tonight with light northerly or variable winds.
Tomorrow morning, frost and ice will clear "only very slowly" and will linger in some parts for the day.
It will remain dry over much of Munster tomorrow, however, showers of rain, hail, sleet and snow could affect some eastern parts.
Daytime highs tomorrow will be between 1 to 4 degrees with light northerly or variable breezes, but temperatures could remain sub-zero in some local areas.
This cold snap could continue for much of January, as Met Éireann has warned of a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) for this month.
A Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) is forecast for early January 2021.
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 4, 2021
It is uncertain how this will affect our weather in the coming weeks as Ireland is already in a very blocked pressure setup.
Read more on this in our New Meteorologist's Commentary https://t.co/8m3ZjBI7hk pic.twitter.com/EIOOteGus6
Met Éireann has said it is not yet clear as to what effect this SSW will have on the country’s weather for the coming weeks as "every SSW is different".
In February 2018 the SSW led to the 'Beast from the East' and storm Emma, whereas the SSW in January 2019 "had no significant impact here, due to the easterly winds not propagating down into the troposphere from the stratosphere".
The national forecaster said Ireland is already in a “very blocked pressure set up” which is contributing to the uncertainty.
"It is uncertain how this will affect our weather in the coming weeks as we are already in a very blocked setup.
"It could kick-start the westerly momentum in our region, at least temporarily, as the SPV is pushed over Scandinavia, leading to a strengthening of the North Atlantic jetstream, resulting in a more typical winter weather pattern for Ireland.
"It could also prolong and intensify the high latitude blocked setup leading to cold polar air masses flooding south into northern Europe or elsewhere in the mid latitudes," a report on their website states.
