Snow predicted for Ireland within days in Met Éireann's cold weather update

Met Éireann is predicting snow in some parts of the country this week as a cold jet stream moves over Ireland from Thursday.

The cold weather comes in the wake of an unsettled, yet mild, spell of weather than has seen temperatures rise to the mid-teens in some parts of the country.

Met Éireann's outlook says things are "turning colder with temperatures returning close to average. Breezy and showery, some of the showers wintry, especially on higher ground."

They say "it will be mainly dry for a time tonight, but rain will spread from the southwest overnight [on Tuesday night], becoming heavy at times. Becoming rather windy too with southerly winds increasing fresh to strong and gusty. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 7 degrees early in the night, coolest in the north.

"Wednesday, will start off cloudy, wet and quite windy with rain, which will clear eastwards through the morning. Bright or sunny spells and scattered showers will follow. Fresh to strong southwest winds will veer westerly as rain clears and will ease later. Highs of 10 to 13 degrees in the morning, but turning cooler as rain clears.

"Wednesday night will bring some clear spells for a time and a scattering of showers, before a band of heavy and possibly thundery rain spreads from the west, clearing again overnight. Turning colder once the rain clears, with clear spells and showers following, some heavy and of hail, with a chance of thunder. Some will turn to sleet or possibly snow, mainly over higher ground. Breezy with moderate to fresh and occasionally gusty southerly winds, veering southwest to west and decreasing mostly moderate inland. Lowest temperatures of 1 to 4 degrees, with a touch of frost possible later in sheltered parts," their latest forecast added.

"Thursday will be cold and bright with sunshine and showers, some heavy and of hail with the possibility of hail and thunder, with the showers most frequent across the western half of the country. Some of the showers will fall as sleet and snow, mainly over higher ground. Colder than recently with highest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees. Breezy; with moderate to fresh and occasionally gusty southwest to west winds, stronger in the southwest.

"Thursday night will be cold with further showers, especially in parts of the west and northwest, where some will be wintry over higher ground. Mainly dry with long clear spells further east. Lowest temperatures of -1 to +3 degrees, coldest in the midlands and east, with some frost and ice. Winds will be moderate to fresh southwest to west, strongest in coastal parts of the west and southwest.

"Friday will once again be cold, breezy and showery, some of the showers heavy, of hail and some of sleet and snow, mainly over higher ground. The showers will be most frequent in the west, and there's the chance that some will be thundery too. There'll be bright or sunny spells too, the best of these further east. Highest temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees in moderate to fresh and gusty westerly winds.

"Showers will mainly become confined to coastal parts of the west and north on Friday night, and some will still be wintry over higher ground. Mainly dry elsewhere with long clear spells. Cold; with some frost and ice with temperatures falling to between -2 and +2 degrees, coldest in the midlands and east, in mostly light to moderate winds, fresher in the west and veering west to northwest overnight.

"Saturday will bring a lot of dry weather overall, with some sunshine, though with cloud increasing from the west. There'll still be a scattering of showers around, these mainly of rain, and they'll tend to die away later. Highest temperatures of 7 to 9 degrees in mostly moderate west to northwest winds, fresh for a time in the west.

"Rain will spread from the west on Saturday night, becoming heavy at times. Lowest temperatures of 1 to 4 degrees in freshening southeasterly winds.

"Sunday is likely to bring more rain or showers. Highest temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees," the forecast concludes.