Is a second 'Beast from the East' on the way? Weather experts settle the debate

 Anthony Ryan shovels snow at the entrance to Millers Weir, Athgarvan Co Kildare in February 2018 as the Beast from the East weather front hit Ireland. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Those thinking there might be a return of the dreaded ‘Beast from the East’ may be pleased to hear weather experts say there is no storm predicted to hit the country in the immediate future.

The cold spell felt country-wide this week is merely typical weather expected in Ireland’s springtime, with Met Éireann saying the weather is "nothing out of the ordinary" for this time of year. 

Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather is quick to dismiss a return, saying there is “no sign of any Beast from the East”.

However, he did say an area of high pressure is shown to dominate our weather for the next seven to 10 days, which may bring slack winds.

He said this weather may also bring frost, issuing a warning to gardeners to remain cautious.

The real beast from the East!

Don’t panic though this chart is from this day 5 years ago when the real Beast was on the weather charts. No sign of any repeat of 2018 at present but still a risk of colder March spell. pic.twitter.com/9UgVade5T5

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) February 23, 2023

Mr O’Reilly feels temperatures will be affected slightly by this pressure, dropping slightly below normal but says it will not be a “severe” drop.

He accepts that the weather forecast beyond March 5 remains uncertain and there lies a possibility of cooler weather moving towards the country.

Met Éireann has predicted weather will feel “rather cold at times” throughout the following days, becoming cloudier later in the week.

“Another rather chilly night on Sunday night with varying cloud-cover. Lowest temperatures of -1C to +4C degrees in a moderate easterly breeze,” they added.

Met Éireann Meteorologist Emer Flood said that although the country will experience an easterly airflow over the coming days, “there is no very cold weather on the way for Ireland as it stands”.

Ms Flood predicts temperatures will be near average or, if anything, a degree below overall, with some frost settling in overnight.

Overnight temperatures may fall below –2C if skies are clear, but this is “nothing out of the ordinary for late February”, she said.

“Overall the weather will be dry and settled,” she said.

Cloudy today☁️ with some showers🌦️ drifting south over the country on a moderate northerly breeze🍃.

Lots of dry weather overall though, and some sunny spells will develop⛅️ as the day progresses.

Highs🌡️ of 8 to 11 degrees.

More here⬇️https://t.co/yEsIuCkWlq pic.twitter.com/iByfL4WGF2

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 24, 2023

The weekend will see some chilly weather at night, with frost clearing on Saturday morning leaving "a dry and bright morning with sunny spells". 

"It will remain dry throughout the day with further spells of sunshine, but cloud will thicken across eastern and southeastern counties after dark," Met Éireann said. 

Temperatures will range from 5C to 9C, while Saturday night will see temperatures fall to -2C to 3C. 

Sunday will be a similar day with varying amounts of cloud. From Monday, there may be some light showers in Leinster while it will be mostly cloudy nationwide. 

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