It has been a very cold end to 2020 and a colder start to 2021 with a cold snap currently effecting the whole of Ireland and the UK. This current cold snap at present looks set to continue at least until the end of this week and possibly into the this weekend but there is a bit of uncertainty heading into the weekend as there are signs it may become a littler milder but some of the forecasting models now this afternoon are trending towards a cold weekend also. The reason for such uncertainty is due to the amount of changes going on high above in the Stratosphere with a sudden warming event ongoing and a split in the polar vortex due to occur in the coming week.

FREEZING TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT TUESDAY MORNING

Overnight tonight (Monday) into Tuesday morning very low temperatures will occur across Connacht and Ulster with some parts locally down to -5C to -7C but most areas between 0C to -4C in these parts, it will be coldest across Ulster and Connacht with a severe frost and icy conditions occurring.

Below the charts show the forecast temperatures in places tonight across Connacht and Ulster

Across Leinster and Munster it will also be cold with freezing temperatures but it will be not as cold as the Connacht and Ulster. Temperatures in the eastern and southern parts will range between 0C to -3C but possibly across eastern coastal areas temperatures will stay at around 1C to 2C due to a northeast breeze.

Across Leinster and Munster Monday night, throughout Tuesday and Wednesday morning there will be showers of rain, hail & sleet to lower levels which will see sheets of ice and black ice forming on untreated roads that have not been gritted. These showers across higher ground areas will be of snow. There will also be a lot more cloud cover across these areas keep temperatures that bit lower but still at freezing level.

On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning very cold temperatures again expected with low of -5C to -6C again especially across inland areas of Connacht and Ulster again with temperatures across the east and south between 0C to -3C. Further icy stretches and dangerous driving conditions nationwide again.

SNOW RISK WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING

A spell of rainfall will move into the northwest later Wedensday night and move southeastwards across Ireland turning wintry in places as it does so with some snowfall possible giving small accumulations for places.

At present with low upper air temperatures and low ground level air temperatures forecast Wednesday night and Thursday morning there will be ideal conditions in places for snow. At present the highest risk areas been inland away from Coasts across Ulster and Connacht. Upper air temperatures can be seen below for Thursday morning.