Storm update for Ireland with horrendous weather to follow -9 cold blast

Ireland is still on storm alert for this weekend after week of wintry weather in most areas, including snow in northern counties on Tuesday.

The cold weather has not yet relinquished its grip on the country with temperatures on Wednesday night expected to fall well below freezing with wintry showers again on the horizon.

A Met Éireann snow-ice warning for Donegal, Mayo, Leitrim and Sligo remains in place until 11am on Thursday and warns of some sleet and snow accumulations. 

A low temperature warning for the entire country remains in place until 12 noon on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Met Éireann said: "Tonight will be very cold with widespread frost and icy stretches. Most places staying dry with clear spells and patches of fog and freezing fog. However, some sleet and snow showers will feed into southwestern, western and northern areas. Lowest temperatures of -6 to -1 degrees in a light northwest breeze."

Meanwhile, Cathal Nolan from Ireland's Weather Channel has turned his attention to a possible named storm hitting Ireland this weekend. 

"It’s a very cold evening wherever you are across the country. For some there’s a coating of freshly fallen snow, for others they were stuck under a dense fog all day, but for most today was a glorious, albeit cold winters day," Cathal said.

"And that sets the scene for what could well be the coldest night since 2021, and for some, possibly all the way back to 2010 when temperatures dipped to -16 and -17 degrees Celsius. We won’t experience anything like that tonight, but locally they may dip down to -8 or -9 in some frost hollows," he added.

His forecast continued: "Tomorrow is another bitterly cold day, much the same as today really, highs no better than 0 to +4 degrees Celsius, some snow showers in the north and northwest, with another bitterly cold night to follow again with temperatures down close to negative double figures in some well sheltered inland parts of the country. 

"But, fast forward to Sunday for a moment and let’s turn our attention to what could well be our ninth named storm of the season. A deepening area of low pressure approaches with a risk of some localised flooding from heavy persistent rainfall, and a risk of some stormy winds up to 110-120km/h in some coastal areas," he concluded.

In its outlook for the later part of the week, Met Éireann says, "The cold spell over Ireland will continue through Thursday night and Friday with frost and ice in many areas. Over the weekend, it will become milder with wet and windy weather at times."

They added: "Saturday will be mostly cloudy with spells of rain through the morning followed by showers later. Noticeably milder and breezier than previous days with afternoon temperatures of 6 to 10 degrees and fresh southerly winds. Saturday night will be mainly dry with lowest temperatures of 2 to 5 degrees. Southerly winds will strengthen overnight.

"Sunday will be very windy with spells of heavy rain and very strong, gusty southerly winds, becoming westerly later as rain clears to showers. Highest temperatures of 9 to 11 degrees."