With less than a month to go before 2017 comes to a close and a new year begins, Twitter is already brimming with predictions for 2018 ranging from hope to downright gloom.

While some hoped for less hate and more tolerance, others were less than hopeful that 2018 would be any different from the year gone by. However, many chose to mock President Donald Trump in light of the ongoing scrutiny and investigations into his administration.

A number of congressional committees are currently probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as possible ties between Trump's team and the Kremlin.

Special counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating the issue and recently charged Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn over lying to the FBI. Flynn is the fourth person connected to Trump's campaign and the first member of his administration to be charged as part of Mueller's investigation.

"Robert Mueller indicts Donald Trump #2018PredictionsIn5Words," one Twitter user predicted.

Another wrote: "Trump will be surely impeached."

Others said the new year could see a nuclear war break out in view of rising tensions between North Korea and the US over Pyongyang's continued and defiant advancement of its nuclear programme and missile tests.

"Nuclear war, Twinkie prices skyrocket," one user said. Another said: "Same shit, different f**king year."

Still, many were hopeful that 2018 would see some changes for the better.

Not everyone, however, was as optimistic.

"Worse before it gets better," one person tweeted while a second wrote: "Hopefully better days to come."

IBTPOTY2017 Pictures of the week
US President Donald Trump speaks about tax reform during a meeting with families to discuss how the tax reform plan would affect them in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC Saul Loeb/AFP