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Tullylish tower. Submitted by David Berry
It's time to wrap up — we’re being warned that a ‘beast from the east’ cold weather front is storming in from Siberia next week, forcing the mercury to plunge as low as -15C.
Bookies William Hill have slashed their odds on the lowest-ever temperature record being broken from 14/1 to 8/1 and forecasters The Weather Outlook say that much of the UK could see lying snow.
“Forecast models show a ‘beast from the east’ weather system next week, with massive blocking high pressure from Siberia to Scandinavia pushing easterly winds across the UK,” Brian Gaze of the Weather Outlook said.
“There's good chance of much of the country seeing lying snow, with growing signs of the weather turning very cold.”
Meanwhile, the Weather Channel is warning that temperatures will hardly rise above zero next week and there is a good chance of a white Christmas.
The Met Office is warning of a risk of wintry showers on Tuesday as the winds turn easterly.
However, forecasters Meteogroup say the forecasts of -15C — colder than the North Pole — are highly unlikely, although chillier weather is on its way.
“It is going to be cold next week, with a pretty cold easterly wind coming in,” forecaster Nick Prebble said.
“As far as predictions of -15C goes, there is a very slim chance of that — perhaps where the snow is covering the glens of Scotland.
“There’s not really any significant snowfall forecast, it’s predominantly cold and sunny with perhaps a few wintry showers.”
Today is expected to see cloud increasing across Northern Ireland with some sunny spells, although a chance of drizzle in the afternoon and temperatures of 9-10C. Overnight will be chilly but not too cold, with lows of 4C.
Patchy rain tonight should clear quickly to give a pleasant day, but it will turn colder tomorrow night with temperatures dropping to around zero.
“This will see the transition to the colder weather for the week, with Monday seeing maximum temperatures of 5-6C,” Mr Prebble said.
“Overnight on Monday, temperatures will drop to -3C or -4C, and Tuesday will see widespread frost and ice.
“On Wednesday there a chance of wintry showers and maximum temperatures of 3-4C — perhaps a few flurries of snow.
“Overnight on Wednesday it could drop to -4C — but not -15C. Then it’s remaining cold on Thursday with a chance of wintry showers. It will be cold overnight on Thursday although there are some hints towards next weekend of some warmer air being introduced. That’s a long way off, though.”
