Cold snap on the way: Ireland to get 'quite a shock' as Arctic air moves over country
Tomas Doherty
Frost and ice could cause disruption across Ireland next week as Met Éireann confirmed the first cold spell of the season is on the way.
The national weather agency has issued an advisory for cold and wintry weather across the country from Monday onwards and throughout much of next week.
Frost, ice and showers will be most widespread in the north and parts of the west.
A weather advisory has been issued as the weather becomes significantly colder. 📉 🥶
You can read more about this in our Meteorologist commentary 👇 📰https://t.co/7hiym4dvw9 pic.twitter.com/xKslRMJWVF— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) November 15, 2024
Liz Coleman, Met Éireann’s deputy head of forecasting, said people are going to get quite a shock as the temperatures plummet next week after an unusually mild start to November.
"Some heavy and persistent rain is expected in the west and north with the possibility of some sleet and snow over parts of Ulster on Monday," she said. "Met Éireann will be monitoring this situation closely over the weekend."
Ms Coleman said there is a high degree of certainty that by next Tuesday it will be much colder as an Arctic airmass sinks over the country from the north.
"Daytime temperatures will often range around 2 to 6 degrees with night-time temperatures widely falling below freezing, bringing widespread frost and ice.
"The northerly airflow will also bring showers of sleet and snow, these most frequent over the northern half of the country, but there is potential for some showers to reach further south.
"These conditions will bring some hazardous travelling conditions, travel disruptions and poor visibility."
She said that the extent of the wintry showers in terms of snow is still unclear, but Met Éireann would have more information as the agency's high resolution model comes into play, which provides forecast information two days ahead.
The cold northerly airmass looks set to linger over Ireland until next Friday at least, but possibly into next weekend too, although uncertainty increases after Friday.
