Ireland Weather: Met Eireann signals huge temperature shift as Storm Bert makes way for big freeze

Storm Bert will begin to clear away from Ireland on Monday after a significant impact over the weekend, but it looks like the week ahead will be far from straightforward on the weather front.

Having experienced extremes in the form of heavy snow and a storm that warranted status red warnings at times, conditions in the coming days will not be as severe as the last week or so, but there will be plenty of ups and downs nonetheless.

Although Storm Bert will move away on Monday, Met Éireann has forecast that scattered showers will be prevalent throughout the country, some heavy, with the chance of hail and even some isolated thunderstorms. Winds will also be close to gale force while temperatures remain mild overall, reaching highs of around 10 degrees. In what will become a pattern for the following few nights, however, temperatures will drop sharply in the evening time and plummet to lows of -2 degrees in places.

READ MORE: Call to boycott Conor McGregor's stout and whiskey brands after court ruling

READ MORE: Country counting cost of Storm Bert as clean-up operation gets underway

Those chilly conditions will persist into Tuesday, although it will be dry and sunny in most parts of the country. Again, the mercury will sink to below freezing later in the evening and into Tuesday night, with the chance of sleet falling over mountains and freezing fog elsewhere.

It’s a similar story on Wednesday, which is set to be chilly but dry and sunny for most. A chill will once again set in on Wednesday evening, leading to mist, fog and patches of frost and ice as temperatures drop to lows of -1 degrees.

Patches of frost and ice are likely
(Image: Getty)

Things will start to turn on Thursday, which again looks to be dry and sunny to start with amid milder conditions than earlier in the week. As temperatures climb to highs of 12 degrees, scattered outbreaks of rain will start to arrive in the north and east before spreading across the country, with the threat of heavy outbreaks in the southwest. Thursday night will be a milder night, with lowest temperatures hovering around 4 degrees.

With temperatures due to drop as low as -2 early in the week, they could go as high as 13 degrees on Friday as conditions look set to become milder again, accompanied by outbreaks of rain and drizzle spreading eastwards across the country.

Uncertainty currently surrounds the forecast for next weekend, but it’s looking as if it will be mild and breezy with scattered showers, with the possibility of heavier rain arriving on Sunday as the month of December begins.

Check out the Met Éireann forecast for the week ahead below

Monday

Today will bring a mix of sunshine and scattered showers, some heavy, with the slight chance of hail and a few isolated thunderstorms, the showers most frequent in the north, west and southwest, but isolated further east. Moderate to fresh and occasionally gusty southwest to west winds, strong to near gale force and gusty for a time in the north and northwest, will ease through the day as Storm Bert moves away, becoming mainly light to moderate by evening. Highest afternoon temperatures of 7 to 10 degrees.

Monday night

Showers will become mostly confined to coastal counties of the west and north tonight and will gradually become more isolated, with long clear spells developing. Frost and some icy patches will develop as temperatures fall to between -2 to +2 degrees in light to moderate southwest or variable breezes. A few isolated mist and fog patches will develop.

Tuesday

Tuesday will be dry and sunny for most. However, there'll still be some well scattered showers around, with these most likely in coastal parts of the north, west and south. Highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees in just light variable breezes.

Tuesday nightThere's the likelihood of some showery rain on Tuesday night in the southeast and east, with a little sleet over the mountains, and a few coastal showers in the north, otherwise it'll be dry with frost developing in many areas. Fog or freezing fog is likely to become fairly widespread too, dense in places. Lowest temperatures of -3 to +2 degrees in mostly light variable breezes, becoming moderate north to northeasterly in the east and southeast.

Wednesday

Areas of mist and fog will be slow to clear through Wednesday and may linger all day in some parts of the midlands. There'll be a little showery rain in the east and southeast in the morning, with a little sleet over the Wicklow mountains, and with a few isolated showers too near the north and northwest coast, otherwise it will be a largely dry day with some spells of sunshine. A chilly day with highest temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees, colder where fog lingers, in mostly light northerly or variable breezes.

Wednesday night

Wednesday night will be another dry and cold night with frost and icy patches developing. Mist and fog will thicken early in the night and become fairly widespread for a time, but will start to clear later in the night as light winds increase moderate easterly and freshen in the southwest towards morning. Lowest temperatures of -3 to +1 degrees.

Thursday

The frost, mist and fog will clear on Thursday morning and it'll be dry in most areas with some sunshine, especially further to the north and east. However, it'll become mostly cloudy in the morning in the south and west, with some rain and drizzle, mainly in the southwest. Cloud will build elsewhere too through the day and it'll become breezy, and while there'll be some further scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle in the southwest and south, it'll hold mainly dry elsewhere. Highest temperatures of 5 degrees in the north to 12 degrees with southeasterly winds increasing mostly fresh and gusty, stronger in some coastal parts.

Thursday night

It looks like Thursday night will be cloudy and breezy, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle, mainly in the southwest and west, with some heavy bursts possible in the southwest. Lowest temperatures of 4 to 9 degrees in moderate to fresh and gusty southeasterly winds.

Friday

Friday will be another breezy, mostly cloudy day, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle in the west and southwest, spreading eastwards. There'll be some mist and fog on hills too, especially in the south and southwest. Milder everywhere with highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees in moderate to fresh and gusty southeasterly winds, stronger in some coastal parts.

Next weekend

While there's uncertainty at this lead time for next weekend, it looks like it'll continue rather cloudy, mild and breezy on Saturday with some scattered outbreaks of mostly light rain and drizzle, especially in southern areas, with some mist and hill fog there too, but with good dry spells elsewhere.

By Sunday, there's a lot of uncertainty, with the possibility of some heavy rain moving in from the west, but there's also the chance that this may stay out in the Atlantic to lead to a mainly dry, brighter day.

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.