The weather will continue to be cold and icy throughout the weekend, but temperatures will be higher than those experienced earlier in the week.
A status orange low temperature and ice warning that was in place for most of the country until noon on Friday and a yellow ice warning is now in effect until noon on Saturday. The warning states there will be icy conditions in some areas throughout the day and night as showers gradually track south-eastwards over the country.
“Some of the showers will be of freezing rain, sleet and possibly snow. Untreated roads and paths may be treacherous in places,” the warning said.
According to Met Éireann, Friday morning will be “very cold” with widespread frost and ice on untreated surfaces with a “few patches of freezing fog” leading to difficult road conditions. Maximum temperatures will be between 0 to 4 degrees.
Friday night will be cold with clear spells and scattered showers, some of which will be wintry, with cold conditions in place. Temperatures will drop to as low as minus 3 degrees.
Saturday will be another cold day, with mist and fog in some areas.
There will be plenty of dry weather, the forecast said, but with a few showers, especially in southern and western coastal counties.
Highest temperatures of 1 to 4 degrees generally, but between 5 and 8 degrees in coastal areas of the south and west in light to moderate southwest winds.
Saturday night will be cold with some frost in the midlands and the north for a time.
However, outbreaks of rain will spread from the south overnight and it will turn less cold. The rain will be heavy in places and perhaps preceded by some mountain snow in Ulster. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees are forecast.
Sunday night will be much milder than preceding days, with highest temperatures ranging from 8 degrees over north Ulster, to 12 or 13 degrees in the south in fresh and gusty southerly winds.
The forecaster said it will be “very mild on Sunday night with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle”. Temperatures remain above 10 to 12 degrees nationwide, in fresh and gusty southerly winds.
