Met Éireann in weather u-turn after cold blast but it's not good news

Met Éireann is predicting a u-turn in our weather this week after a cold blast last week brought a number of low temperature warnings to many counties.

The u-turn on the way is not a good one with the icy blast to be replaced by wet, windy and even stormy conditions for the rest of this week.

Met Éireann has already issued a Status Yellow rain warning for Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow, warning that "spells of heavy rain spreading eastwards will be accompanied by strong and gusty southeasterly winds."

They list the potential impacts as "localised flooding, difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility."

The warning is valid from 10am on Wednesday until 1pm on Thursday.

In its general forecast and outlook for the rest of the week, Met Éireann says the country is "transitioning to a milder and more mobile Atlantic regime through the rest of this week and this weekend," but indicated this could bring "wet and windy" weather our way.

They say Wednesday "will be a damp, cloudy and rather windy day, with outbreaks of rain, turning heavy at times, especially across parts of Munster and south Leinster, bringing a risk of spot flooding. Milder than recent days, with afternoon highs of 7 to 10 degrees generally, though a little cooler in Ulster, in fresh to strong and gusty southeast winds.

"Mild, wet and windy, especially in the east and north early on [Wednesday night]. Outbreaks of rain, heavy at times, will give way to some drier intervals extending from the southwest for a time, but further outbreaks of rain and drizzle will spread from the south later in the night. Lowest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees, coldest in Ulster early on. Fresh to strong and gusty southeast winds will moderate for a time before picking up again towards morning.

"Damp or wet and breezy to begin on Thursday with further outbreaks of rain, heavy at times, bringing an ongoing risk of spot flooding. A clearance to sunny spells and blustery showers, some heavy, will extend from the southwest through the morning and early afternoon. Highest temperatures of 9 to 12 degrees in fresh to strong and gusty southerly winds, with coastal gales developing on Atlantic and southern coasts during the afternoon and evening."

"At present, Friday looks set to bring a mix of cloud and bright spells with scattered showers, with the showers merging to longer spells of rain at times over the southern half of the country. Possibly windy across Munster for a time, but lighter winds elsewhere, becoming light to moderate northwesterly in all parts later in the day. Highest temperatures of 8 to 11 degrees.

"Clear spells and well scattered showers at first [Friday night]. Cloud and rain spreading from the southwest later. Light westerly or variable winds becoming southeast overnight, freshening in the southwest towards morning. Lowest temperatures of 2 to 5 degrees across the northern half of the country, 6 to 9 degrees further south."

For the weekend, Met Éireann says an "Atlantic low pressure looks set to dominate bringing further spells of wet and windy weather with temperatures near or slightly above average for the time of year."

Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather has also said we may even get stormy weather later this week on Thursday and especially on Sunday as an Atlantic low system takes hold.

Plenty of windy weather ahead with ECMWF showing risk of some very strong winds Sunday, other models keep that storm further South though. Wind and rain returns tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/OAMQquZKPI

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) December 5, 2023