Our neighbours in the UK are enduring a torrid cold spell with temperatures in some parts dipping as low as -8 degrees.
Scotland in particular has been at the receiving end of the cold blast with snow in recent days and a "colder than average" March promised by forecasters.
Many Irish people have been left wondering if the cold front might reach our shores. This week is relatively mild with chilly night bringing frost to some parts but a change may be on the cards.
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The UK Met Office recorded temperatures of -7.9C in Altnaharra in the Highlands on Sunday and snow maps from WXCharts suggest there could be a 45 to 70 percent chance of snowfall on Tuesday, March 7 in parts of Scotland, reports The Mirror.
UK Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan told The Mirror : "It does look like the month will begin on the cold side. There is quite a chilly week to come. The first week is likely to see temperatures below average but not exceptionally so.
"But from next weekend onwards, there are some small indications we will see winds switch to a northerly direction and that will bring much colder conditions southwards."
Bookies have even slashed odds on next month being the coldest March on record despite the fact that the Beast from the East occurred in March 2018.
Meanwhile back at home, Met Éireann doesn't foresee a huge dip in temperatures or any hazardous conditions on the way for the foreseeable future although it has provided an update on the Sudden Stratospheric Warming that is "ongoing."
A Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) caused the Beast from the East in 2018 but there is no guarantee of such results this time around.
Met Éireann confirmed: "A Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) is on-going, which adds a high degree of uncertainty to the overall forecast. Given that caveat, the overall signal from the seasonal models for Ireland during spring (March, April, May), is for slightly above average temperatures with average rainfall. March, and possibly the beginning of April, are likely to be cooler and drier than average, with a transition to warmer and wetter conditions for May."
Looking to the coming days, Met Éireann expects a "very settled week with high pressure dominant, mainly centred to the north of Ireland.
"As a result, Ireland will lie in an easterly airflow this week. Rainfall levels will be well below normal across the country for the time of year, and there will be no strong winds. Mean air temperatures will be average or slightly below average. No warnings or hazardous weather expected."
Looking at the week from March 6 to March 12, they say "high pressure is signalled to move away well to the northwest of Ireland with low pressure having more of an influence on our weather.
"Airflow is signalled to mainly be northerly or easterly. There will be more rainfall than the previous week, mainly affecting the north and east. Whilst it will be less settled, it is not looking like it will be very unsettled. Western and southwestern fringes will likely continue drier than normal. Temperatures will likely be average for the time of year. No signs of any hazardous weather at this stage."
For the following week, forecasters reckon "there remains a weak signal for the weather to be changeable with highest rainfall amounts for the east or south. There is a signal for it to continue drier than normal in the west. Temperatures signalled to be around average."
For week from March 20 to March 26, indications show that high pressure will build to the north of Ireland, with low pressure trending to the south.
"An easterly airflow is signalled for Ireland with average temperatures for time of year or slightly below. Below normal rainfall is signalled for the western half of the country," Met Éireann predict.
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