Leading weather forecaster warns of potential heavy snow and ...

Cathal stated, "the latest updates from all of the major weather models are beginning to agree about the potential for a potent Atlantic storm developing close to Ireland on New Years Day with a risk of damaging winds in some locations in what would certainly be a named storm."

He noted that there were differences however in the exact track and depth of the low pressure system which are still being worked out by the models.

"In some scenarios the low tracks just to the south of Ireland with the risk of snow then for many parts of the country, however in some it tracks further to the north.

"If tracking further to the north the system deepens more rapidly, leading to damaging winds in some or potentially all areas for a time, but if it tracks to the south then heavy disruptive snow would be a real possibility as cold air digs in south along the northern edge of the low pressure system.

"In either scenario it appears as though there’s growing confidence in a period of particularly cold weather developing for the first week of January with sub zero temperatures by day, bitterly cold conditions by night and with the possibility of some flurries of snow for some coastal areas.

"There’s still uncertainty, the weather models are I’ll continue to change elements of the forecast, but we do need to pay close attention to the real possibility of disruptive weather occurring during New Years Day. 2025 could well be kicking off with a considerable bang."

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