Met Éireann issues new weather warning as bitter cold continues to bite

Met Éireann has issued a new weather warning after Monday night's snow as bitter cold is set to dominate for the rest of the week.

A STATUS YELLOW Low Temperature Warning has been issued for all of Ireland for Tuesday night into Wednesday.

The forecaster warns that it will be extremely cold after dark and into daytime Wednesday. Air temperatures will fall back to -3 or -4 degrees, coldest away from the Atlantic, and even colder over lying snow.

Extreme cold will cause a widespread sharp to severe frost and icy patches. Freezing fog developing inland also.

The warning is valid from 4pm Tuesday, February 6 to 4am Wednesday, February 7

The new warning runs in conjunction with a Status Yellow Snow Ice warning which runs to 11.59pm on Tuesday. Because of the snow the forecaster warns people take care on untreated slippery roads and paths.

Forecast below tweets

Low Temperature Warning issued for tonight.
Status: Yellow
Location: Nationwide
Valid: Tues 4pm to Wed 4am
Latest warning details here:https://t.co/X6NncUghZ9#sneachta pic.twitter.com/wrVSWZKjYV

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 6, 2018

Very cold tonight with a hard frost, especially in the east of the country. A little less cold in the west, clouding over here later in the night with patchy rain & drizzle for western coastal counties by morning. pic.twitter.com/CEVg6yvszk

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 6, 2018

Met Éireann says Tuesday will feel raw in brisk northwesterlies albeit with bright winter sunshine and scattered wintry showers moving down in the flow. The showers will be most frequent in the west and north, but a few will make their way into other areas later too.

Some further slight/moderate snow accumulations are likely. Maxima of just 3 to 5 degrees Celsius and feeling even colder owing to an added wind chill effect.

Tuesday night will feature scattered wintry showers will continue early tonight, leading to further accumulations locally. Drier calmer weather developing thereafter, but turning extremely cold with a widespread sharp to severe frost and icy patches. Freezing fog developing inland too.

Minima will range 0 to - 4 degrees Celsius; widely falling back to -3 or -4 degrees Celsius across the eastern half of Ireland. A little less cold near the Atlantic Seaboard later in the night, with patchy rain and drizzle developing in Atlantic coastal counties by morning.

Wednesday is likely to start bitterly cold with frost, ice and lying snow in parts. Any early brightness will soon yield to the mostly cloudy conditions, as moderate southwest breezes set in. Scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle, further west, will gradually extend to all areas through the afternoon and evening, possibly preceded by sleet over the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains. Maxima will range only 4 to 8 degrees Celsius, coldest for eastern counties.

On Wednesday night, rain will clear northern and western counties overnight with a slight frost possible in these areas towards morning. Further south and east, damp and misty conditions will continue with patchy rain and drizzle. Lows of 1 to 5 degrees Celsius in mainly light southwest or variable breezes. 

There will be limited bright spells on Thursday in the northwestern areas, but overall a mostly cloudy and misty day on Thursday with patchy outbreaks of rain and light winds. There is a threat of a more persistent spell of rain developing in southern and eastern counties during the afternoon and evening. Top temperatures of 6 to 9 degrees Celsius.

On Thursday night, showery rain looks likely to extend from the Atlantic accompanied by gusty west to southwest winds, possibly reaching gale force along the Atlantic Seaboard. The rain will turn increasingly wintry overnight with falls of sleet and snow as it moves inland, affecting mainly Ulster, Connacht and west Munster. Minimum temperatures of minus 2 to plus 1 degrees Celsius with frost and icy patches. 

Friday will be another cold and blustery start to Friday, with sunshine and scattered wintry showers, most frequent in the west and north of the country. Top temperatures just 3 to 5 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty west to northwest winds gradually abating. Dry for a time on Friday night, before another band of rain extends from the Atlantic in strengthening southwesterly winds. Minimum temperatures ranging minus 2 to plus 2 degrees, but temperatures rising significantly overnight. 

Current indications suggest a wet and windy start to Saturday with rain affecting much of the country and blustery southerly winds veering westerly. Clearer, more showery conditions look likely to spread from the west during the afternoon and evening. Daytime highs around 7 to 10 degrees, but temperatures will take a tumble through the afternoon and evening, with increasingly wintry falls in the north after dark. 

A much colder day is signalled for Sunday with sunshine and scattered wintry showers. The showers will be most frequent over the northern half of the country, where some will be heavy with hail and a risk of thunder. Current outlook for daytime temperatures is 3 to 5 degrees generally, though it may stay milder near the south coast.