We started hearing about all the terrible, horrible weather on the way for the winter months a while back, but it seems that we might actually be about to get it this time. 

So far we've successfully avoided getting hit by the polar vortex or the freezing tornado, or whatever they claimed was coming, but by next week we'll all be dead. Dead tired of the cold weather that is, because the conditions are just right for us to be hit with a cold snap that will last at least until the end of the month, if not beyond. 

While the rest of this week should stay reasonably mild, next week is set to see the temperatures drop pretty dramatically. Forecaster with Exacta Weather James Madden said that Ireland managed to miss much of the snow and colder conditions that hit England over the winter, but with the polar vortex expected to split, it may affect parts of the country as we move through January. 

He told The Irish Mirror that we could expect "some prolonged cold spells and a number of widespread snow events across large parts of Ireland. It may even arrive a little earlier than mid-month". The north and the east of the country look set to be the worst hit areas, with mentions of the words "significant snowfall" and "bilzzards" thrown in there, while the south won't escape the freezing conditions entirely, with lying snowfall becoming an issue in those regions. 

Madden urged people to start preparing their households ahead of time for the impending snowy onslaught, so obviously we're off to stock up on Game of Thrones memes. "The cold is on its way".

Via The Irish Mirror