Temperatures to plummet this weekend

Nighttime temperatures are to fall as low as -2 this weekend, but unless you're up the Wicklow mountains, there's little chance of snow.

That's according to local weather man Cathal Nolan of the Midland Weather Channel.

"There is slight possibility that showers could turn wintery later in the weekend, Sunday into Monday, but mostly on higher ground. The Wicklow mountains or parts of Donegal for instance might experience some wintery precipitation."

But while the midlands will not experience any snow, it will be much cooler in general.

"Daytime temperatures will not go above 6 - 8 degrees Celsius. Nighttime temperatures will fall to below freezing, which could make for some icy stretches on roads.

"We'll see between -1 and -2 degrees at night, but nothing too severe as yet.

"There are easterly winds coming in from Scandinavia," continues Cathal, "Something along the conditions we experienced during the extreme winters of 2010 and 2011, but we're not seeing anything on that scale yet.

"It is a welcome change in comparison with last year when Athlone and parts of the west coast were experiencing severe flooding. So the crisp winter sunshine is a welcome change."