'Polar low' to bring snow and ice to Ireland this week

"To the south of the low pressure centre, winds will be strong and gusty from a southwesterly direction, later veering west," Met Éireann has predicted.

"There will be showers too, likely to be heavy and falling as snow over the hills and mountains. "

CLIMBER/HIKER ADVISORY
Extreme care required on hills & mountains from Thursday onwards. Moderate snow accumulations in many upland locations & bitter windchill.
**Avoid driving over upland road networks** pic.twitter.com/aZkclnKPOH

— ☀Metalert Ireland☀ (@MetAlertIreland) November 21, 2017

Temperatures during Thursday afternoon are predicted to range from just 4-5C in the north, to 7-8C in the south.

Another cold night is expected to be in store, with temperatures forecast to range between -2C and 3C, with ice forming on untreated surfaces.

"There'll be showers or longer spells of rain, turning wintry with snow likely on the Wicklow Mountains," according to Met Éireann.

Cold air returns southwards again from Thursday with a risk of #snow in northern Scotland as it does so. Nick pic.twitter.com/gq5LAoVf6X

— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) November 21, 2017

Some wintry showers are expected to persist along coastal areas in the west and north on Friday and Saturday, although the rest of the country should enjoy some respite, although it should remain rather cold.

Met Éireann's forecast beyond that could hardly be more downbeat: "The further outlook is for continued cold weather with showers".

Extended GFS18z well worth a look tonight. Very unlikely to verify but it shows widespread and heavy #snow in early December https://t.co/FzzZAd7Q41 pic.twitter.com/ybOIv7Nv9F

— TheWeatherOutlook (@TWOweather) November 20, 2017

Wrap up warm, people!