Ireland is preparing for a significant intensification of winter conditions as Met Éireann warns of an Arctic air mass arriving between January 1 and January 7. The national weather service has forecast temperatures in Dublin dropping to -1 degrees Celsius this week, with even colder conditions expected in the coming days.
Met Éireann predicts temperatures will fall sharply as cold Arctic air reaches Ireland following the formation of a low-pressure system over the country. This weather pattern brings the possibility of snowfall, including in the capital, with the heaviest snow expected in the north and west. The weather service has issued a new alert warning of potential “winter precipitation” accompanying the cold snap.
Parts of Leinster, particularly Dublin, Wicklow, and Wexford, are forecast to experience snow during this period due to a phenomenon known as sea-effect snow. Today, Met Éireann forecasts partly cloudy but dry conditions in the city, though this is expected to change as the Arctic air mass arrives.
The severe weather is set to intensify just as children across the country prepare to return to school after the Christmas break and at the start of the new year. Estimates suggest parts of Ireland will experience freezing temperatures and snow throughout the first week of January. However, the government has given no indication of extending school closures due to the weather.
Forecasters agree temperatures will continue dropping below zero throughout the day, creating bitterly cold conditions. Carlow Weather Experts caution there is no guarantee of snow for students or teachers, though the cold spell is expected to last up to five days across Ireland.
Regarding school closures, the Department of Education, government, and meteorologists clarified during the last storm that decisions about closing or opening schools in bad weather rest with individual school management. The government will maintain this approach during the snow and cold, allowing schools to assess weather conditions in their specific areas, including cold and snow levels, before making decisions.
The cold snap is part of a broader weather pattern affecting the region. The Met Office has warned that up to 10 centimeters of snow will fall across various parts of Britain this weekend, with forecasters comparing the expected snowfall to conditions experienced in 2010.