IT’S GOING TO be a cold and wintry week ahead with a weather advisory in place nationwide. 

Met Éireann has issued a winter weather advisory for the whole country. It kicked in at 11.46am today and will remain in place until 11.30pm next Saturday, 10 December. 

The forecaster has said it will be very cold this week as an Arctic airmass sets in, bringing sharp to severe frosts and icy stretches on roads. 

Showers of hail, sleet and snow will occur during the second half of the week. 

Updates with potential warnings are to be issued by Met Éireann in the coming days. 

Looking at the general forecast for today, scattered showers are expected, heaviest and most frequent in the east. There is a chance of isolated thunderstorms, sleet and a small amount of hail, especially over higher ground. 

The showers will be fairly widespread over the eastern half of the country and lighter in the west. 

The scattered showers will continue tonight, mainly in parts of the east and south, with a lot of dry weather elsewhere. 

Temperature are due to drop as low as -1 degree with frost forming in places. 

Tomorrow will see mostly dry conditions in the north and northwest with sunny spells. However, it will be somewhat cloudier elsewhere with some scattered light showers. 

Tomorrow night is forecast to see some scattered showers continuing near the east and south coast. 

Temperatures are expected to drop as low as -2 degrees tomorrow night, coldest in the north with a widespread frost setting in.