A weather event which brought us 'The Beast from the East' has been forecast for February.
The pattern known as a sudden stratospheric warming event is being monitored by both Met Éireann and the UK Met Office.
Its frequency has increased in recent years, but doesn't always lead to the cold conditions we saw back in 2018.
Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather says a major cold snap is guaranteed:
"At the moment, I would be making sure that people do not get panicked, especially elderly may be fearing for heating their homes. Just because we're having a sudden stratospheric warming event, it does not mean that we're going to see a 'Beast from the East'. It does increase our chances of some cold or possibly settled weather, and it can bring cold weather but it certainly does not mean it will happen".
