Weather: Hail and sleet on the horizon

It's feeling quite cold  outside with passing wintery showers to be expected.

However, all signs show that it will turn milder by tomorrow, Wednesday.

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

The mild weather won't last for long, as more "wintery precipitation" is expected in the north west in particular, and possiblly some areas of Westmeath.

"There's a fairly strong area of low pressure that's been driven by a north westerly airflow. It originated in the north Atlantic," he tells the Westmeath Examiner.

"This will lead to unsettled conditions over the weekend and on in to next week.

"We will see some precipitation on Thursday and into Friday, but with temperatures remaining between 3 - 6 degrees, this may well turn a small dusting of snow during the night time in paticular, in the first half of next week.

"So, winter is not quite finished yet."

Discussing the Nacreous, or 'Mother of Pearl' clouds, that have taken the nation by storm, Nolan says these form at temperatures between -78 and -90.

"It is due to a slight shift in the polar vortex, but climatologists are reluctant to use that term.

"They are an unusual sight and normally only occur at more northern latitudes. They have provided some great sky gazing. This is also why we could see some quite wintery conditions next week."