Arctic air brings risk of snow on Friday

Olga Aughey

There's a risk that we could experience the first snowfall of the season on Friday next.

Temperatures are due to fall well below average for this time of year, with daily values no higher than 4 - 5 degrees.

Midland Weather Channel's Cathal Nolan says a cold air mass from the northwest is expected to push down across the country on Thursday. This will meet with a low pressure system pushing up from the south, bringing intense precipitation that could fall as sleet or snow in the midlands.

"While it sounds ludicrous, there is a risk - by no means is it a guarantee - but there is a risk that there could be some wintry precipitation," says Cathal Nolan of the Midland Weather Channel.

"There's a likelihood of a dusting of snow, or a covering, and the area most at risk is the midlands, particularly elevated areas of the midlands.

"As the very warm and moist air comes into contact with the bitterly cold Arctic air its expected to generate some intense precipitation leading to a flooding risk in the southeast of the country at present, whereas along the northern and northwestern edge of the rainfall its expected to turn increasingly to snow."

While snow is very rare in October for Ireland, the last time it occurred was in 2009, one of the coldest winters on record.

"That was our coldest winter in decades. A number of significant parameters over the seasonal period indicate that we may be in for a colder than average winter.

"We are right at the bottom of the current solar cycle and generally north western Europe experiences a colder than average winter when the solar cycle is at its lowest.

"So Friday we can expect precipitation which will fall as sleet, snow or rain. Temperatures will be seven or eight degrees below normal for this time of year, so it will be noticeably colder than normal.