Beast from the East worries loom as icy blast set to hit

Beast from the East concerns look set to return as February brings further icy conditions to Ireland.

Worries of similar freezing blasts from the 2018 storm lingered in January, though the country managed to escape the worst of it.

However, wintry storms still rattled the nation, bringing ice, hail and sleet to many counties.

Some days saw temperatures plummet well below freezing, but the Beast from the East’s woes never fully returned.

The country may not be out of the woods yet, though, as another arctic blast looks set to hit this month.

Weather maps published by WXCharts.com on Saturday suggest that freezing temperatures could arrive within just a few days.

While it appears as though Ireland will keep on avoiding much snowfall, sustained icy conditions may stick around.

At the end of last week, Met Éireann extended its national forecast for February, suggesting that temperatures will drop below average for the second week of the month.

The first week of February will continue to be wet, with ‘higher than average rainfall’ and ‘normal’ temperatures to stick around.

However, week two’s ‘confidence is lower’ as ‘precipitation anomalies are expected to be below average’ for most of the nation.

Temperatures look set to drop below ‘average’ before ‘increasing uncertainty’ arrives in week three.

Met Éireann added: ‘Wetter than average conditions are signalled for most of the country with the exception of the very northwest which will signals average or slightly below for the time of year.

‘Mean air temperatures are likely to be average or slightly below for the time of year.’

More rain and typical February temperatures have been signalled for the final week of the month, though ‘confidence is low’.

For the near future, Sunday is set to be a mostly dry day following a wet morning.

Sunday night may bring some frost as temperatures drop, with Monday forecast to be cloudy and mostly dry.

Monday night is set to be a wet one and Tuesday doesn’t look like much of an improvement.

The rest of the week will follow a similar pattern, with the national forecaster predicting gloomy conditions throughout the next few days.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.