DETAILED SUNDAY SNOWFALL UPDATE - Heavy snow in places leading to hazardous driving conditions
Parts of Ireland will see snowfall on Sunday morning and for a time during afternoon with weather warnings now issued for snow & ice for Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, Armagh, Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath and Meath.
Across the southern half of Ireland it will be rain that falls as it sits under a milder airmass.
On Sunday morning a frontal system will move in from the Atlantic extending northeastwards across Ireland and with colder air over the northern half of the country this will turn to sleet and snow giving accumulations to areas. Some of the biggest amounts of snow are expected across Connacht, west / south Ulster and north Leinster but areas further south in Leinster could also see some snowfall for a time with small deposits also before turning back to sleet and rain again later Sunday morning.
The rain moves into the southwest of Ireland between 2am and 3am Sunday morning extending into Connacht between 5am and 6am with that status yellow snow/ice warning then in effect.
Between the hours of 8am and 9am the band of rain will then have reached all of Connnacht, Leinster and west Ulster and will be falling as snow in many areas but some sleet also in the mix for areas.
Across south Leinster and southern parts of Connacht the sleet and snow will then revert back to rainfall between 10am and 12pm with snow still falling across North Connacht, North Leinster and Ulster over the early stage of Sunday afternoon before it becomes more patchy during the late afternoon and evening and fizzles out but with still some sleet and rain overnight for many. Some parts of the northwest and north possibly seen further falls of snow.
On Sunday morning snowfall will lead to hazardous and treacherous driving conditions with some roads over higher ground areas possibly becoming impassable especially across North Connacht, North Leinster and Ulster.
Some areas may see up to 5cm across the west and northwest by the afternoon latest ECMWF model accumulations chart attached below.
Below is the The IREPS (Irish Regional Ensemble member runs from Met Eireann showing all the different Members run including the Mean and Control.
The IREPS (Irish Regional Ensemble Prediction System) forecast for total snow-depth tomorrow at 1500hrs illustrates which regions are most at risk of snowfall tomorrow with the west, northwest and midlands most at risk of accumulations.
WEATHER WARNINGS IN PLACE
STATUS YELLOW - SNOW/ICE WARNING FOR CONNACHT, CAVAN, MONAGHAN, DONEGAL, DUBLIN, CARLOW, KILDARE, LAOIS, LONGFORD, LOUTH, WICKLOW, OFFALY, WESTMEATH AND MEATH
Met Éireann Weather Warning
Wintry falls with some accumulations possible.
Valid: 06:00 Sunday 31/01/2021 to 18:00 Sunday 31/01/2021
Issued: 13:00 Saturday 30/01/2021
STATUS YELLOW - SNOW/ICE WARNING FOR FERMANAGH, TYRONE, DERRY & ARMAGH
Donegal Weather Channel Weather Warning
Wintry falls of sleet and snow with some accumulations possible.
Valid: 06:00 Sunday 31/01/2021 to 18:00 Sunday 31/01/2021
Issued: 13:00 Saturday 30/01/2021
And just to finish with the risk of snow again for Monday night and Tuesday morning the Met Office Uk have issued a snow and ice warning since for Northern Ireland. Warnings may also be issued by Met Eireann for this period but it to early to say yet as rhere still is some uncertainty.
STATUS YELLOW SNOW/ICE WARNING FOR Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Derry, Tyrone
Met Office UK Weather Warning
A band of rain, locally heavy in places, is likely to push slowly northeast across Wales and England early Tuesday. As this rain comes into contact with cold air in place, it is likely to readily turn to snow away from eastern coastal districts. 1-4 cm of snow is quite likely away from eastern coasts, with 5-10 cm possible above about 150 metres and up to 20 cm across higher parts of the northern Pennines and Southern Uplands. As well as snow, a period of freezing rain is possible for parts of east Wales and the north Midlands. Should this occur widespread icy stretches would form. Snow should turn back to rain from the south, lasting longest across parts of northern England, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Valid: 00:00 Tuesday 02/02/2021 to 23:59 Tuesday 02/02/2021
Issued: 10:45 Saturday 30/01/2021
Kenneth from the Donegal Weather Channel
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