FORECAST:The winter of 1947 became known as the the Big Snow. Freezing temperatures set in during the final week of January and lasted well into March. Most places in Ireland had between 20 and 30 days of snowfall.
The winter of 1962/1963 was the coldest since 1740. January 1963 was the coldest ever recorded in Ireland and the Shannon froze over at Limerick for the first time in living memory. The freeze set in over Christmas and 45cm of snow fell on New Year’s Eve 1962.
The cold weather which occurred in the middle of January 1982 was short but intense. One of the heaviest falls of snow happened on January 7th and through most of the following day. Hundreds of motorists had to be rescued from their cars on the Naas dual carriageway.–Ronan McGreevy
ULSTER: snow showers over the next few days especially in Donegal. It will stay bitterly cold with daytime temperatures not rising much above three degrees and falling to -8 at night.
CONNACHT: snow will be by way of showers. Inland parts of east and south Connacht will be drier and will not have much in the way of snowfall. Temperatures will be below freezing at night.
MUNSTER: largely dry over the next few days except in parts of west Clare, Limerick and Kerry, which will see wintery showers. The rest of Munster will be dry but subject to severe frosts.
LEINSTER: parts of Leinster are likely to be hit by snow showers today. There is a threat of snow on the eastern coastal margin from Louth to Wexford this week depending on wind direction.
– Ronan McGreevy