Sleet and snow forecast as temperatures set to plummet

Sleet and snow are forecast this week with temperatures set to fall below freezing at night.

It will feel notably colder than it has been of late and it will continue to be wet in the east of the country.

Monday and Tuesday will be showery with temperatures around normal for the time of year.

Temperatures will start to fall on Wednesday with highs of just 5 to 8 degrees during the day.

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Heavy rain is expected on Wednesday which will turn to sleet or snow on higher ground on Wednesday night across the country.

Temperatures will fall below freezing in most places on that night and the possibility is that people will wake up on Thursday morning with a covering of snow though it is unlikely to remain except on higher ground.

Thursday will be another cold day and temperatures will again fall below freezing in many places at night with a sharp frost developing on both Thursday night and Friday morning.

Liz Walsh said the outlook for the week is "cold and unsettled" with "sharp heavy showers".

She added: “It looks like it will be a slushy type of snow rather than powdery snow. It will be washed away by rain on Thursday. It’s not going to be another beast from the east.

“Thursday will get brighter and drier as the day goes along and the same for Friday. You are looking at icy frosty mornings with lots of clear skies overnight and also through Friday.”

The forecast for next weekend is for more rain.

Dublin has already received its average rainfall for November after just 10 days.

The uncharacteristically wet weather in the capital is as a result of “repeated” low pressure systems bringing a frontal rainband which gathers over the Irish Sea, Ms Walsh says.

This is accompanied by north-easterly winds which are “never good” for Dublin, she explained.

“It keeps bombarding the east coast with rain. We had a succession of these. In a way we have been getting west coast weather on the east coast.”