Brace yourself.

Met Éireann has prepared us for a bitterly cold few days ahead, as its latest regional forecast for Munster suggests temperatures will fall to zero or below every night this week.

While there will be plenty of dry, and even sunny, moments throughout the week, the nights will be pure hot water bottle weather, with plenty of frost. Today, for example, is expected to be cool and dry, with temperatures of between 6 and 9 degrees. Things will become less hospitable later, with temperatures potentially falling as low as -2.

Tuesday will also be largely dry with mist, fog and frost clearing through the morning with sunny spells developing, with temperatures in the range of between 5 and 8 degrees. Once again, the night will see the thermometer drop to zero.

On Wednesday morning, rain will move southeastwards over Leinster and Munster and will clear by noon. Sunny spells and scattered showers will follow from the northwest and moderate southwest winds will become west to northwest as rain clears.  Daytime temperatures will remain around the 6 to 9 mark, and nighttime temperatures will range between 0 and 3 degrees.

Cork will likely escape any Thursday rain, which will mostly affect Ireland’s north-facing coast. A fresh, dry day with moderate winds is to be expected, with nighttime lows of -1.