Met Eireann has warned there is “considerable uncertainty” in the upcoming forecast.
The national forecaster is currently unable to accurately predict conditions beyond Monday, but says the weather may turn “more unsettled” for the middle of next week.
Giving its weather prediction for next week, it said: “Considerable uncertainty remains for the further outlook, although conditions may turn a bit more unsettled for the middle of next week.”
READ MORE: Met Eireann verdict on Ireland ‘Polar Vortex’ fears as weather phenomenon could trigger big freeze
It comes as Ireland is on alert for a potential weather change that could threaten a ‘Beast from the East’ style subzero freeze.
In recent days, some weather experts have sounded alarm bells over the emergence of a weather pattern that could bring another cold blast to the country.
Although it is still very early days and subject to change, some meteorologists are reported to be keeping a close eye on the Polar Vortex - a pool of cold air spinning over the North Pole - which has the potential to spark a Sudden Stratospheric Warming event, also known as an SSW.
It was just such a weather incident that drove the Arctic deluge five years ago that left Ireland covered in deep snow. Brian Gaze from The Weather Outlook, an independent weather blog, told Express: “Computer models are suggesting that a weakening of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex (SPV) in the coming weeks could lead to an increasing chance of cold weather during February
“A weakening SPV leads to an increasing chance of a very cold Arctic Blast or a Beast From The East weather pattern, like the one we saw in February 2018.”
However, Irish weather expert Alan O’Reilly has urged caution. He wrote on his Carlow Weather social media accounts: “The stratosphere is going to see some warming over the coming week or two but it doesn’t look likely to reach SSW level and doesn’t look likely to have much impact on our forecast at present but each warming event is different and has different impacts.
“So if you see headlines saying the polar vortex is coming for us and going to bring a beast from the East then you can relax for now. It’s winter and cold can always return but warming in the Stratosphere doesn’t mean we are going to freeze down here.”
Meanwhile, one long range weather map - which is subject to change this far out - shows Ireland blanketed in snow on Sunday, February 5.
Met Eireann issues monthly forecasts that it says “can at times provide an insight into weather patterns for the month ahead”.
However, it explains they “should not be used for specific planning purposes” as they have “generally low skill” as “forecasts beyond one week become increasingly uncertain due to the chaotic natures of the atmosphere”.
For the week of February 10 to February 16, it says: “Looking ahead to week 3, mid February, and uncertainty in the forecast increases, and there is little in the way of any signal for high or low pressure dominating our weather. This leads to a mixed signal for precipitation amounts, and there is low confidence in predicting above or below amounts for the time of year. Likewise with temperatures, again no signal for above or below temperatures.”
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