Irish weather: More snow on the way before dramatic change in conditions

Met Éireann has forecast the possibility of more hail, sleet and snow this weekend before a dramatic shift in conditions takes effect from early next week.

The national forecaster came in for criticism for failing to accurately predict the amount of snowfall in Dublin in particular as most of the country was blanketed from overnight on Thursday into Friday.

A series of weather warnings issued by Met Éireann have expired as of Saturday morning, but we are not out of the woods yet in terms of the wintry conditions experienced in recent days.

Saturday is set to be a cold day with sunny spells and scattered showers. Those showers will fall as rain in most places but “a few may fall as hail, sleet or snow”, according to Met Éireann.

The same applies for scattered showers on Saturday night, when temperatures will plummet to as low as -2 degrees.

Sunday will again be cold with scattered showers, some falling as hail in places, with temperatures once again dropping to below freezing at night.

Snow in Dublin on Friday

Monday will be similar to Sunday albeit, with a better chance of brighter spells and similarly cold conditions at night. Things will start to turn on Tuesday, which will be mostly dry with sunny spells, with temperatures reaching as high as 12 degrees.

Conditions will be more unsettled on Wednesday with a greater chance of showers, but it will be milder again, with temperatures reaching as high as 13 degrees.

Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather has also forecast a rise in temperatures from early next week but warned of uncertainty and the risk of rain beyond that.

Here is the Met Éireann forecast for the coming days.

Saturday

Cold on Saturday morning with frost and some icy stretches. There will be sunny spells and scattered showers. The showers will mainly be of rain but a few may fall as hail, sleet or snow. Fresh to strong and gusty northerly winds will develop in the southwest, west and northwest but will be light to moderate in other areas. Highest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees.

Saturday night will be cold and frosty with some icy stretches developing, as temperatures fall to between -2 and +3 degrees. There will be a mix of clear spells and scattered showers. Most of these will be of rain but a few hail, sleet or snow showers are possible. Light to moderate west to northwest winds, fresh at times in the west.

Sunday

Sunday morning will be cold with some icy stretches. There will be sunny spells and scattered showers of rain or hail at first but they will become more isolated later. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees with a light to moderate west to northwest wind.

Temperatures will fall quickly after dark on Sunday night under clear skies. Frost and icy patches will develop, with lows of -1 to +2 degrees. Most areas will be dry but cloud will increase across the south and west, with outbreaks of rain or drizzle developing in Munster by morning. Light to moderate south to southeast winds.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain in the morning. Some drier and brighter periods will develop in the afternoon. Breezy with moderate to fresh and gusty south to southeast winds, with gales near southwestern coasts. Highest temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees.

Outbreaks of rain will continue in some areas early on Monday night but by morning most places will be dry. Lowest temperatures of -1 to +5 degrees in a moderate to fresh and variable wind, becoming lighter overnight.

Tuesday

Mostly dry with sunny spells on Tuesday morning but some showers will develop in the south. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees with light to moderate southwesterly winds, becoming southeasterly.

There will be some showers in the south and east on Tuesday night but other areas will be dry and partly cloudy. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees, coldest in the northeast, with a moderate southeasterly wind.

Wednesday

Current indications are that Wednesday will be unsettled with rain or showers and relatively mild, with highs of 8 to 13 degrees.

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.