Threat of coldest winter in 50 years according to national media reports

A national newspaper report has claimed that Ireland could be facing into the coldest winter in 50 years.

The threat of extreme weather between Christmas and late January - including heavy snowfalls and temperatures as low as minus ten degrees - was outlined in a front-page lead story in today's Irish Independent.

However Met Eireann, the national meterological service, has warned that it's too early to make such predictions at this stage.

In the Irish Independent article, James Madden of exactaweather.com said that in a worst case scenario Ireland could be hit by a 'polar vortex' which would bring four weeks of freezing temperatures including snowfalls of over 60cm.

Over the weekend, Mullingar and Galway were the coldest parts of the country, with temperatures falling to minus three degrees.

Tonight is expected to be cold, with temperatures dropping to minus one in some parts of the country.

It will be milder on Tuesday and Wednesday, with rain expected, according to Met Eireann.