Met Éireann has issued a cold weather advisory for next week with a risk of snow, frost and hail starting on Monday across the entire country.
Such is the sudden change from mild November conditions, the national forecaster said “people are going to get quite a shock as the temperatures plummet next week”.
A spell of cold and wintry weather is due across the country from Monday onwards and throughout much of next week with frost, ice and showers, most widespread in the north and parts of the west.
There will be hazardous ground conditions due to frost and ice with cold temperatures and poor visibility in wintry showers.
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Deputy head of forecasting Liz Coleman said “there is a high degree of certainty that by next Tuesday it is going to turn much colder as an Arctic air mass 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,” she said.
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,” Ms Coleman said.
“The extent of the wintry showers in terms of snow is still unclear, but we will have more information as Met Éireann’s high resolution model comes into play, which provides forecast information two days ahead,” she added.
In its daily outlook Met Éireann said Friday is expected to see cloudy and mild conditions similar to those of recent days with even a few brighter spells developing, with highest temperatures of up to 13 degrees.
“A band of rain” is expected to move down from the north, tracking gradually south over the country during the night. Highest temperatures tonight are expected to be between five and 10 degrees, and it will be coldest in Ulster.
Saturday is expected to feature a damp start across central and southern areas with patchy rain and drizzle. It is likely to be drier further north, with some sunny spells and just the odd shower, and that rain will then clear from the south coast by round early on Saturday afternoon, leaving a mix of cloud and sunny spells across the country, with just a few showers.
Sunday is forecast to be a fresh and bright day for much of the country, with spells of sunshine and just a few showers in the north and West.
However, Met Éireann meteorologist Matthew Martin said a damp weekend would be followed by a very cold Monday night. Between Tuesday and Friday of next week, he said, “we’re into a cold northerly airflow, and that will bring a mix of sunshine and scattered wintry showers of hail, sleet and snow. The showers will be most frequent across Connacht and Ulster, where some lying snow is possible.”
“It turns very cold on Monday night,” Mr Martin said, “with frost and ice forming and some wintry showers feeding in across Ulster”.
“Then between Tuesday and Friday of next week, we’re into a cold northerly airflow, and that will bring a mix of sunshine and scattered wintry showers of hail, sleet and snow. The showers will be most frequent across Connacht and Ulster, where some lying snow is possible, especially on the hills, there will be widespread frost and ice at night too, with some hazardous travelling conditions,” he said.
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