Weather: 2-5cm of snow as 'status yellow' warning in place

Weather Update

A 'Status Yellow' snow and ice warning remains in places for counties Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, Westmeath and Louth.

Snow accumulations of 2-5cm may occur in places and the warning is valid until 6pm this evening.

Met Éireann has said frost and ice will be slow to clear this morning. Today will be very cold with sunny spells and scattered wintry showers of sleet or snow. Highest temperatures this afternoon of just 1 to 3 degrees in a light to moderate easterly breeze.

Tonight will be very cold with a widespread sharp to severe frost and icy stretches. It will be mostly dry with clear spells, though there will be showers of sleet or snow at times. It will become breezy as fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds develop. Lowest temperatures of -4 to -1 degrees.

Tomorrow (Thursday) will be largely dry with sunny spells, although cloud will increase from the south later in the day. It will be windy and very cold with highest temperatures of 1 to 3 degrees, with an added wind chill factor due to fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds.

Thursday night is forecast to bring more sleet and snow in Munster, Connacht and Leinster early on but will become largely confined to Leinster overnight, with rain persisting towards the south coast as temperatures increase here. Staying breezy with fresh and gusty southeasterly winds, strong near all coasts. Lowest temperatures of -2 to +1 degrees.

Expect some lingering falls of sleet or snow in Leinster on Friday morning, while rain continues in southern coastal counties. During the afternoon, a band of rain will move in across the western half of the country, possibly turning to sleet or snow in the northwest. Fresh and gusty southeasterly winds will continue on Friday, strong near all coasts. Highest temperatures of 4 to 8 degrees in Munster, but staying colder across the rest of the country with highs of 1 to 4 degrees.

Friday night will be wet and windy as rain spreads countrywide, falling as sleet or snow in Ulster and parts of north and east Leinster. Rain will be heavy in southern coastal counties with a risk of some flooding. Lowest temperatures of 0 to 4 degrees generally, but less cold in the southwest with lows of 5 to 9 degrees. Southeasterly winds will be fresh to strong and gusty.

Saturday will be wet and windy. Further falls of sleet and snow in Ulster and parts of north and east Leinster at first, before transitioning to rain later. Rain will again be heaviest in southern coastal counties, maintaining the risk of flooding. Staying cold in Ulster and Leinster with afternoon temperatures of 0 to 5 degrees, but turning milder in Connacht and Munster with temperatures reaching 6 to 11 degrees. Southeasterly winds will continue fresh to strong and gusty.

It will stay wet on Saturday night, with heavy rain in many areas giving a risk of flooding. Fresh to strong and gusty south to southeast winds will ease in most areas overnight. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 8 degrees.

Conditions will become drier in many areas on Sunday morning, but more rain is then forecast to move up across the country, heavy at times. Becoming breezy again too, with fresh and gusty southerly winds developing. Highest temperatures of 5 to 11 degrees, coldest in Ulster.

Current indications for next week suggest weather will stay very unsettled with further spells of wet and windy weather.