Weather advisory in place as snow forecast later in the week
Weather Advisory
A weather advisory has come into effect for all of Ireland.
Met Éireann is warning that Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be very cold with temperatures in low single figures by day and with sharp or severe frosts and icy patches at night.
The national weather forecaster says there will be showers of sleet or snow at times in eastern counties from Sunday evening onwards. There is a risk of more widespread sleet and snow on Thursday.
Met Éireann is also warning of "hazardous conditions" on roads and paths.
The advice came into effect from 6am this morning (Sunday) and is valid until 6pm on Wednesday, February 10.
The latest weather bulletin says it will be mostly cloudy today with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle, which will slowly become confined to Munster. Brightening up at times in the afternoon with a few light showers in the east. Highest temperatures of just 2 to 5 degrees with fresh easterly winds, strong near coasts.
Tonight will be cold and mainly dry with clear spells. A few wintry showers of sleet or snow will drift mainly into north Leinster and the eastern half of Ulster. Lowest temperatures of -2 to +2 degrees with a widespread sharp frost and icy patches.
Tomorrow (Monday) will be very cold with bright or sunny spells. There will be scattered wintry showers of rain, sleet or snow, mostly in the eastern half of the country. Many areas will be dry. Highest temperatures of just 1 to 4 degrees with moderate to fresh easterly winds.
On Monday night, showers of sleet and snow in the east will become more frequent and push further inland overnight. Very cold with clear spells and lowest temperatures of -3 to 0 degrees with a widespread sharp frost and icy patches under clearing skies. Mainly moderate easterly winds, fresh to strong in the southwest.
Tuesday will continue very cold with further wintry showers of rain, sleet and snow feeding in from the east. They'll mainly affect the eastern half of the country, especially eastern coastal counties with moderate snow accumulations in places. It will be mainly dry further west with just isolated showers.
Daytime temperatures of just 1 to 3 degrees with fresh easterly winds, strong on southern coasts. Tuesday night will be very cold with lowest temperatures of minus 4 to zero degrees with severe frost and ice causing hazardous conditions. Some further showers of sleet and snow in the east. Winds will ease overnight with fog patches developing.
Wednesday will continue very cold with daytime temperatures only reaching 2 or 3 degrees. There'll be a good deal of dry weather, though some further wintry showers are likely, especially in north Leinster and east Ulster. Wednesday night will be cold and frosty in many areas. Rain, sleet and snow will develop in the southwest overnight.
Some uncertainty on exact details for Thursday and Friday.
Current indications suggest that on Thursday, rain, sleet and snow will move northeastwards over Ireland. It will fall initially as sleet and snow with significant accumulations possible before it turns to rain as milder air moves up from the south. Daytime temperatures of just 1 to 4 degrees. On Thursday night, sleet and snow will continue in Ulster and Leinster, while showers of rain will develop in the west and south.
On Friday it looks like there may be further falls of sleet and snow in parts of north Leinster and Ulster, with showers of rain further south. Eventually the milder air will reach northern areas and the weekend will be less cold with a few showers.