STORM Watch: Weather forecast charts show 'really quite powerful' front hitting Ireland

Met Éireann's weather forecasting partner has flagged the potential for a big Atlantic storm called Barra to hit Ireland and Britain next week.

The Met Office jointly forecasts storms with Met Éireann and Dutch forecasters. The Met Office, which correctly forecast Storm Arwen, says a strong jet stream over North America is powering weather systems at present.

While there uncertainty due to the energy in the jet, the forecasters say both European and American weather charts for next week show this energised jet stream driving deep area of low pressure to the west of Ireland.

Met Office says the charts so something 'really quite powerful' by Tuesday, December 7.

The forecasts differ as too what could happen if the deep areal of low pressure does materialise.

The Met Office says the European model says the low pressure could head down over France and Spain which could drag down really cold air over Scandinavia.

The American forecasters say the potential storm could head further into the North Atlantic meaning milder and wetter weather for Ireland.

The Met Office advised that continues to be a high degree of uncertainty as to what will happen.

Storm Barra would be the first storm of the meteorological winter.