People in many parts of the country can expect “quite a shock to the system” when they wake up to snow later this week, a meteorologist has forecast. 

Although Ireland has enjoyed exceptionally mild weather over the weekend, Cathal Nolan of Ireland’s Weather Channel said it is soon to come to an end. 

 “Thursday and Friday in particular, we’re expecting to see very cold weather returning,” he told The Claire Byrne Show. 

“It’s returning from the north and north-west; it’s due to an outbreak of particularly cold air across the Canadian Arctic. 

“But that air is expected to stream then across the country from the west and north-west. 

“It is going to bring with it a significant drop in temperatures and with that, some really quite heavy showers.

“But will fall predominately as sleet and snow on Thursday night into Friday morning. 

“Some parts of the country will wake up to an accumulation of snow on Friday.” 

Mr Nolan added that while “all parts of the country are at risk” of sleet and snow, the highest risk in the west and north-west.

Main image: Snow in Kildare. Picture by: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie.