Dublin weather: ‘Sudden stratospheric warming event’ may bring settled December

There is a possibility that a “sudden stratospheric warming event” could lead to a cold but settled December

WX CHARTS showing the wind on Sunday night. Image: WX CHARTS

December may be cold but settled if current predictions hold up.

Met Eireann’s current long-range winter forecast predicts that December temperatures will be relatively mild to average for that time of year. Overall, they say, it looks like rainfall amounts will be lower than average too.

Cathal Nolan of Ireland’s Weather Channel explains that there is a possibility that a “sudden stratospheric warming event” could lead to a cold but settled December. Of course, long range forecasting is very much subject to change.

In a recent weather update on current conditions, he said: “At the moment looking at our satellite, we can see this area of low pressure here bringing this finger of cloud into parts of the northwest. It is going to bring heavy showery outbreaks of rain here in the next couple of hours before filtering southwards across the country as we go through the evening and night time hours bringing strong winds with it as well up to 90/100 kilometers per hour in parts, so certainly strong enough to cause a little bit of disruption.”

“In terms of our weather forecast, what we can expect to see this coming week… in terms of Monday it’s a cold showery day with an orderly flow across the country drying out to more sunshine in the afternoon/evening but feeling chilly. A cold frosty night on Monday into Tuesday.

Ireland’s Weather Channel’s latest forecast update: Image Ireland’s Weather Channel Facebook

Tuesday is the best day of the week, plenty of sunshine light winds, very pleasant indeed. Wednesday we see more unsettled conditions developing and that is the case for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and indeed Saturday and into next weekend.”

Touching on the move into December, he said: “We’re entering into a very unsettled spell of weather before there is the possibility of a sudden stratospheric warming event happening, whereby we see winds in the stratosphere reversing from a west to east to an east to west flow, that increases the chance of blocking patterns.

So, as we go into the second week of December and through the middle of December, there’s a higher chance of settled weather, or winds coming from a more easterly direction, and the possibility of a more prolonged cold spell as a consequence. These are all possibilities, we’re just talking through what the eventualities could be,” he reminded viewers.

For more updates, you can follow Ireland’s Weather Channel on Facebook.

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