Dubbed the “Beast from the East”, the memorable spate of cold weather took Great Britain and Northern Ireland by force in February 2018.
With unusually low temperatures and heavy snowfall, sudden stratospheric warming brought a change in direction of the jet streams hitting the UK.
The good news is the forecast for Northern Ireland over the next week is looking to continue to be dry and mild, but there will be some chance of snow coming in from the north, the forecaster suggested.
A Met Office spokeperson said: “It is looking largely dry over the next seven days with often large amounts of cloud and generally average temperatures. As we head into the following week, the forecast uncertainty grows.
“There are some signs that colder weather may move in from the north, with the risk of some snow.”
When asked about the reports of another “Beast from the East” hitting Northern Ireland, the spokesperson said: “From what we can see at this stage, it doesn’t look very likely.”
The next week is “looking dry and settled” but “could turn a bit colder from the north,” he confirmed.
On Monday, any mist from the night before will clear through the morning, leaving behind dry day with some sunny intervals and light winds. The maximum temperature is expected to be around 8 °C.
The outlook for Tuesday to Thursday suggests things will remain mainly dry and quite cloudy. However, the Met Office said there is a chance of one or two light showers across the east of Northern Ireland on Wednesday and Thursday.
It comes as the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has urged road users to exercise caution and to be prepared for potential delays ahead of planned industrial action by members of the GMB and Unite unions.
The strike action by industrial staff who work on the roads network is to go ahead on Monday. As a result, there will be a reduced level of the essential services such as winter service, which includes gritting the road network.
A spokesperson added: “While contingency arrangements are being put in place, this will not replace the full maintenance service and we would therefore ask all road users to be mindful of this and exercise care when making their journeys.”
