IT’S COMING. IT’S finally coming.

After weeks of wondering when the cold weather was going to make its presence felt, agonising over whether or not to turn the heating on, and cursing yourself for putting the winter coat on too soon… it’s time.

Here is the DailyEdge.ie guide to preparing yourself for the Irish winter….

Defrosting the car

You need to get up 30 minutes early, get the “blowers” going, boil the kettle for the windscreen (but don’t use boiling water, you eejit), give the back window a scrape, and worry about the State of the Roads for at least 12-15 minutes.

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Anti-slip devices

Nobody wants to end up like this:

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Best to invest in some of these from Lidl or Aldi:

Made-in-china Made-in-china

If it snows you’ll be as smug as anything, and if it doesn’t it’ll give you something to complain about in the spring.

Knowing when it’s too cold to snow

This is an essential Irish skill, and one which will gain you the respect of all of your peers.

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Getting the electric blanket balance right

A happy medium is essential.

Protecting those toes

From the cold and the monsters.

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Getting the layers ratio right

This is practically a science. Knowing the layer that’s one too many can be your saving grace, particularly when it comes to pesky Christmas shopping or getting into overheated vehicles.

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The rules are:

-wear one less layer that you think you’ll need, but carry an extra one about your person somewhere

-take your coat off before you go into a shop, even if it means being cold for a few seconds

- if you’re mother asks you “have you no coat?”, heed her warning. She knows what she’s talking about.

And finally, ALWAYS listen to Evelyn

She’s our Weather Goddess.

This week: It’s going to get cold, but will it snow>

Read: 11 reasons the cold weather is actually great>

More: 9 things you never knew about Irish weather>