Temperatures to drop and possibility of snow on the way

A northerly airflow will become established over Ireland over the coming days, introducing much colder conditions, with widespread frost and some ice developing each night. There will be occasional showers through the week too, which may turn wintry, but these showers will be quite light with minimal accumulations.

Met Éireann meteorologist Aoife Kealy said: “Given the cold conditions, it’s possible that some showers will turn to hail or sleet with a chance of some snow, particularly over higher ground. But even where the showers do turn wintry, accumulations will be very small.”

Aoife explained: “An Arctic airmass is going to sink across us this week, bringing noticeably colder conditions than we’ve had lately. Daytime temperatures will struggle to get above the low single figures, especially from Wednesday onwards. Night time temperatures will be near freezing or below through the week too so that means there’ll be widespread frost and some ice. On top of that, light winds will allow fog to develop overnight, becoming dense in places. Any frost, ice and fog will be slow to clear in the mornings making travel difficult at times. So, extra care will be needed on the roads.”

While it will be cold, the week will be largely dry with some spells of sunshine. High pressure will often be near Ireland through the period, bringing generally settled conditions and preventing any significant rainfall.

The meteorologist concluded: "Uncertainty increases from the weekend onwards. Current indications suggest that conditions will remain colder than average with further showers, turning wintry at times. However, there is also potential for some longer spells of rain if milder air makes its way across us from the south."