A number of schools across the country could be forced to close their doors this week as Ireland and the UK are preparing to be hit with extremely cold weather in the coming days ahead.
Although the Department of Education have yet to issue a statement regarding the prospect of school closures, it is thought they are closely monitoring the situation as temperatures are expected to plummet over the coming days ahead.
The review of the situation comes as the country is expected to be hit with a Siberian blast or the ‘beast from the East’ as it is known, on Tuesday.
In what is expected to be Ireland’s coldest spell since the winter of 2010, temperatures are expected to drop as low as -10c with 15 inches of snow expected in many places.
Speaking about the impending Siberian blast, a Met Eireann spokesperson said a provisional yellow status weather warning has been put in place from Tuesday onwards, but it could be upgraded to red if conditions become considerably worse.
The national forcaster say people should prepare for the unusual cold weather spell as temperatures are to remain below freezing, with heavy snowfall expected to hit on Tuesday afternoon.
It is expected the sudden cold snap could see a number of schools, colleges and businesses close in the middle part of the week as travel conditions will deeply worsen on Tuesday night and on early Wednesday morning.