As Ballymahon woke up to a dusting of snow on the wind screens and light snow showers we all wonder if this is the first sign of a harsh winter ahead.

The outlook for Ballymahon over the next few days is for continued cold, frosty weather with winter showers which means ... more snow.

The odds on a White Christmas for Ballymahon are quite high according to the bookies who are fairly certain that snow will fall across Ireland.

For the East and West Ladbrokes, are offering odds of 5/1 and 7/1 for snow to fall in the South . Paddy Power is offering odds of 4/1 for snow in Dublin.

For the North of the country Paddy Power are offering 6/1 odds that snow will fall in Belfast.

Bookmakers offer odds every year for a white Christmas, which is officially lying snow being recorded at 09:00 local time on Christmas Day, and recorded at either Dublin Airport, Belfast, Galway or Cork Airport (bets are offered for each airport). Since 1961, countrywide, snow has fallen on 17 Christmas Days (1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1980, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009 and 2010), with nine of these having snow lying on the ground at 09:00 (1964, 1970, 1980, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2010).

The maximum amount of lying snow ever recorded on Christmas Day was 27 cm (11 in) at Casement Aerodrome near Leixlip and Celbridge in 2010.

Our odds for Ballymahon .... 100/1 that you'll have to wrap up warm this winter

:(