Ireland may be in for a brief bout of warm and sunny conditions, however, due to a battle between tropical and polar airstreams, it looks as if the UK and Ireland are in for a stormy change this week.
According to forecasters, the remnants of Hurricane Nicole, which struck the US last week, will hurtle towards Canada, crashing into a swathe of bitter polar air that has plunged the country into an early winter freeze.
The UK Met Office said that: “It’s the contrast between the warm tropical air and the cold air trying to pile south from the Arctic that will power the jet stream.
READ MORE: Met Eireann five-day forecast predicts sunny spells but polar twist once sun goes down
“It will invigorate the jet stream and power it down across the Atlantic through the weekend and that changes things for us as we go into next week.”
The jet will sweep across the Atlantic and over Ireland before heading towards the UK, steering turbulent low-pressure systems towards us.
Their impact will depend on a separate region of high pressure over Europe, which has been the driver of the recent mild weather.
Meanwhile, Met Eireann’s forecast notes this as an ‘active depression’ heading our way before temperatures drop to near freezing heading into the weekend.
Today (Monday), rain will clear northeastwards, leaving dry and sunny spells for much of the day. Cloud will then build from the southwest through the afternoon, bringing rain later as southeast winds increase fresh to strong.
It’ll be a wet and windy night tonight for many as the rain tracks northeastwards, becoming drier for a time before showers follow, mainly affecting the south and west.
Fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds are expected alongside lowest temperatures of 1 to 3 degrees in the south and west, and 4 to 6 degrees elsewhere.
On Tuesday, rain will clear the northeast in the morning to leave a mainly sunny day. Blustery showers will affect coastal counties.
Wednesday will see an active depression tracking near to the south and east coast bringing a degree of uncertainty to the forecast, but the forecasters say “at the moment it looks like after a mainly dry and sunny start to the day, heavy rain will affect Munster and Leinster, moving into east Ulster later.”
The rain will gradually clear northeastwards on Wednesday night with clear spells and showers following, the showers most frequent on coasts.
Good sunny spells and scattered blustery showers are due on Thursday, which will be heaviest and most frequent along Atlantic coastal counties.
Friday will then see further sunny spells and showers with long dry spells in the south and east.
Temperatures will drop to near freezing on Friday night with frost in places.
As for farther afield, “The current indications for the weekend is for continued unsettled weather with showers or longer spells of rain and turning windy at times.”
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