Forecaster flags significant and lasting snowfall ahead of cold snap next week
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A Met Éireann forecaster has warned that snow is on the cards with the possibility that significant and lasting falls could hit Ireland if stormy Atlantic weather slows over Ireland as it meets cold air over Northern Europe.
Ireland s forecasting office issued the warning in a commentary similar to those published ahead of extreme weather. Meteorologist Liz Walsh set out what to expect from conditions which are not dissimilar but likely less extreme than when Storm Emma hit the Beast from the East in 2018. Our weather is expected to turn progressively colder from early on Sunday, February 7 with the cold spell now looking likely to last well into next week, says Ms Walsh.
How much snow could we see this time around?
Forecasters are predicting at least 10cm of snow on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – with 30cm potentially falling altogether by Tuesday morning.
Accumulations are set to be bigger in the eastern parts of Suffolk and Essex, with the cold air being brought in via north-easterly winds.
Ipswich Waterfront during the original Beast from the East, as forecasters predict a cold snap
- Credit: EMILY TOWNSEND
How does that compare to the first Beast from the East?
Temperatures dropped well into the negatives when the original beast hit in late February 2018, with heavy snowfall hiking up gritter costs by as much as £1m that year.
Updated: 3 Feb 2021, 20:48
IRELAND is set to be hit with snow showers and bitterly cold winds - and there is a risk of very disruptive levels of snowfall next week.
Experts have warned there s also the possibility of a battleground scenario between two weather fronts - similar to that of Storm Emma back in 2018 - taking place over the country next week.
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Bitterly cold winds and snow is expected to hit the east coast of Ireland in the coming daysCredit: PA:Press Association
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A forecast of the upper air temperatures over the weekend
The country is being warned to brace for a significant cold snap as a Siberian weather front is set to descend over Ireland.
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A significant snow event could be on the way, with forecasters preparing for a potential repeat of 2018’s Beast from the East.
Met Éireann has said temperatures will continue to drop in the coming days with a Siberian front due to move in from next Wednesday.
As those cold easterly winds move in, they could meet an Atlantic low-pressure front, potentially bringing heavy snow similar to 2018.
Met Éireann forecaster Siobhan Ryan told
Newstalk that all “eyes are now on the weather for next week.”
“Temperatures are likely to turn even colder,” she said. “It is going to be really bitterly cold and wintery.
The front is expected to be so cold that it very likely that many parts of the country will be experiencing snow as the weekend comes to a close, with the eastern coast of the country being the worst affected.
Met Éireann confirmed the arrival of the Siberian weather event this week, sharing a chart depicting a likely severe drop in temperature. On the left below is a probabilistic representation of max & min temperatures for Dublin from the ECMWF s ENSEMBLE forecast system, they said. It shows a high amount of certainty that we re in for some very cold days from Sunday onwards. But how long it will last?