Two status orange weather warnings for snow, ice and rain have been issued for five counties with “significant” snowfall accumulations expected throughout the night tonight.
Temperatures are set to plunge further today with possible accumulations of sleet and snow, according to Met Éireann, after lows plummeted to -3 degrees overnight.
The warnings are in place for Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford from midnight until 12pm on Thursday with “very difficult” travelling conditions, poor visibility and disruption to public transport expected.
An orange snow and ice warning has been issued for Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, with significant snowfall accumulations expected.
Restaurateur Gráinne O’Keefe: I cut out sugar from my diet and here’s how it went
Conor McGregor a ‘devious coward’ who does not have ‘the decency’ to own up to what he did, High Court jury hears
Remains of Cork fisherman found by chance two decades after he disappeared, inquest hears
‘The hardest thing about being a parent is being unavailable to my kids because I have to work so hard to feed and clothe them’
An orange warning for snow and rain, meanwhile, has been issued for Cork and Waterford as heavy rain is expected to transition to sleet and snow, with Met Éireann also warning of potential flooding.
Waterford City and County Council has activated its severe weather plan, with ground crews attending priority roads networks where gritting will be undertaken as required for the duration of the weather warning.
Gabriel Hynes, senior engineer with the council, urged all motorists to exercise caution by reducing speed and allowing extra distance between vehicles as travelling conditions will potentially be “hazardous”.
A nationwide yellow warning for low temperatures and ice remains in place until 10am on Wednesday with the same warning in place from 8pm until 10am on Thursday.
So far, there have been light dustings of snow in some areas amid widespread ice and frost.
Sleet and snow are expected on Wednesday, particularly in the south and southwest as a yellow snow and ice warning for Munster comes into effect at 8pm with accumulations expected.
A snow and ice warning from the UK Met Office also remains in place for Northern Ireland until Wednesday morning, with heavy showers in some areas overnight.
Nationally, Wednesday is set to be a cold day with frost and icy stretches on untreated surfaces this morning, and this frost and ice will linger in some spots through the day making travelling conditions difficult in some areas.
Although it will be dry and sunny for many, scattered showers of sleet and snow will continue in the north and northwest.
Conditions will turn cloudier in the afternoon with a spell of heavy rain moving into the west and southwest, turning to hail, sleet and snow at times as it spreads inland.
There will be afternoon highs of 3 to 6 degrees, the forecaster said.
“Very cold” conditions are forecast for Wednesday night, reaching lows of between -4 and 0 degrees with more widespread frost and ice.
Sleet and snow accumulations are possible, Met Éireann said, as rain spreads across the southern half of the country later on Wednesday, turning to sleet and snow at times away from coasts.
It will be mostly dry further north, with scattered wintry showers continuing in Ulster and north Connacht.
Outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow will then clear to the south on Thursday morning, leaving another “very cold day” with showers of rain, sleet and snow most frequent across Connacht, Ulster and west Munster.
Some icy stretches will linger throughout Thursday with temperatures reaching just 1 to 4 degrees.
The wintry conditions are set to continue until the end of the working week when it will turn milder, reaching highs of 12 to 15 degrees on Saturday.
However, conditions will turn more unsettled with potentially wet and windy weather, the forecaster said.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
