Ireland Weather: Freezing temperatures and snow on the way as Met Eireann forecast Arctic blast for Ireland

Freezing temperatures and snow are on the way this week as Met Eireann forecast Arctic blast for Ireland.

Met Eireann has issued a Weather Advisory for Ireland warning that the weather will turn very cold this week as an Arctic airmass sets in, bringing sharp to severe frosts and icy stretches on roads. There will be showers of hail, sleet, and snow will occur during the second half of the week.

Met Eireann says there will be updates through the week with potential warnings will be issued in the coming days.

The full weather forecast for Ireland for the coming week from Met Eireann is as follows.

Monday will be quite cloudy with scattered showers continuing to feed in from the east. The best of the dry and bright spells will be in the west. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees in a light to moderate northeasterly breeze, fresh near the coast.

Scattered showers will continue tonight, mainly in Leinster and Munster, with mostly dry and clear conditions elsewhere. It will be cold with a widespread frost, as temperatures drop to between -2 and +3 degrees. Coldest conditions are expected in the north. A light to moderate northeasterly wind will continue.

According to Met Eireann, Tuesday will be mostly dry with sunny spells, but there will be a few showers too, mainly near the east and south coast where it will be cloudiest. Chilly with highest temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees, in a light northerly wind.

Very cold with widespread frost on Tuesday night, as temperatures drop to between -3 and +2 degrees. It will be generally dry and clear, but will become cloudier with isolated showers in the northwest later, and there will be a light northerly wind.

Wednesday will be cold with temperatures only reaching 2 to 5 degrees, in a light north to northwest wind. It will be dry and sunny in most places, but there will be scattered showers in northern and western coastal areas. The showers will turn increasingly wintry later in the day, with snow likely on high ground.

Bitterly cold on Thursday night with temperatures falling below zero degrees countrywide and as low as -3 or -4 degrees in some places. There will be a widespread sharp to severe frost and ice on untreated surfaces. Showers will move southwards over the country overnight and will fall as sleet or snow in some areas.

Thursday will be very cold with temperatures remaining in low single figures. A mix of sunny spells and well scattered showers of sleet, snow and hail. The showers will become mainly confined to coastal parts of the northwest, north and east as the day goes on. Winds will be light and come from the north.

Another bitterly cold night on Thursday night with a widespread sharp to severe frost and icy stretches. Minimum temperatures of -4 to -2 degrees in a light north to northwest wind. Most areas will be dry and clear but there will be wintry showers at times near the coast.

Staying very cold on Thursday with temperatures remaining in low single figures. Mostly dry with sunny spells, but wintry showers will persist near coasts, especially in the north.

Met Eireann says little change is expected for the weekend with the weather staying very cold with some wintry showers and widespread frost by night.