Snow on the cards as temperatures to hit -5C

As Britain braces itself for temperatures as low as -15C next week, we will face a cold snap somewhat easier to manage.

Met Éireann said it is likely that from Tuesday of next week, Ireland could see temperatures fall to as low as -5C at night and low single figures during the day. It’s going to be cold, certainly, but spare a thought for our neighbours across the Irish Sea who are facing into -15C and icy gales of up to 75km/h.

A forecaster at Met Éireann said it is looking like Ireland will see some very cold weather from Tuesday to Friday with the risk of wintry showers.

Friday night Christmas markets in cork! Lovely cold but dry night. :-) pays to get stuck in traffic! @mrfinbarr :-) pic.twitter.com/qkrVedi3

— Carol Cashell (@ccashell) December 7, 2012

“We are in for a cold, frosty week for much next week. It’s looking like we will have some very cold nights and temperatures will be slow to improve during the day, particularly from the middle of next week. There is a risk of some wintry showers coming in from the Irish Sea.”

So far this month, the lowest temperature seen was -3.1C in Moorepark in Cork. Last month was even colder, with the minimum temperature of -4.5C recorded in Markree in Sligo.

Met Éireann said they would be monitoring the situation in the next few days, but all indications point to a nippy week. “After the middle of next week we will likely see temperatures go as low as -5C to -8C at night, and it will struggle to get above single figures during the day.

“The coldest days are likely to be Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, where it is likely to be sub-zero temperatures every night,” said the forecaster.

While we have not seen much of the white stuff so far this winter, Ireland’s most famous amateur weatherman, Donegal postman Michael Gallagher is already on record saying we will get a few falls of snow before Christmas.

“We’ll have a few falls of snow before Christmas... It might not be as heavy as it was two years ago but we’ll have plenty of snow,” he said.

Meanwhile, the odds on a white Christmas were slashed to the shortest- ever level two weeks from Christmas Day.

Ladbrokes has slashed its odds following an avalanche of bets. Dublin is now 9/4, down from 9/2 just 24 hours earlier, with Cork at 9/4 from 6/1 and Galway 5/2 from 7/1.

Hayley O’Connor of Ladbrokes said snow at Christmas was always a popular bet. “This is a popular, festive flutter and with severe frost forecast in Dublin this weekend, the chances of us paying out on a white Christmas are rising all the time,” she said.

If the chilly autumn is anything to go by, we are guaranteed plenty more cold weather before the year is out.