Further wintry showers forecast after Saturday snowfalls

Snowfall was reported in many counties on Saturday morning amid a nationwide Met Eireann snow and ice warning .

There were reports of snowfall in Kildare, Laois, Kerry, Roscommon and Wicklow.

Met Eireann had forecast several centimetres of sleet and snow on higher ground in the north and northwest with wintry showers in the south and east. The yellow level warning (the forecasters lowest level) ended at midday.

However further wintry showers are expected on Saturday night in the west and north. Some will fall as snow in Ulster, Met Eireann said. It is going to be cold on Saturday night but tempertures will not go below zero and are forecast at 0 to 3 degrees with frost and ice developing.

Umbrellas will be out on Sunday as it cloudy and damp with outbreaks of rain in all areas. Most places will be mild with highs of 10 to 12 degrees but Ulster is epected to remain cold at 0 to 7 degrees.

Met Éireann meteorologist Harm Luijkx on Friday night said: "Saturday will start with some frost and some further wintry showers. It will be milder in the south on Saturday night as rain pushes up from the southwest.

“That will continue on Sunday. It will become milder as the day progresses and temperatures will reach double figures by its end, but the north will stay cold for the day as it will take a while for the mild air to reach it.”

Mr Luijkx said the “next big weather story” would be the winds on Monday.

“It looks like it’s going to be another day of very strong winds,” he said.

“There will be weather warnings but we don’t know whether they will be yellow or orange at this stage.”