Snow and ice forecast for northern counties on Wednesday

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow weather warning for snow and ice for five northern and border counties on Wednesday.

The national forecaster said there is a risk of snow showers in counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Louth and Leitrim.

It is anticipated there may be up to 3cm of snow, particularly on higher ground. The weather warning is in place from 3am to 3pm on Wednesday.

AA Roadwatch has advised motorists to “slow down and keep in mind stopping distances are ten times longer in snow and ice.”

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For the rest of the country Wednesday is set to be a cold and blustery day, with the showers over the West and North of the country to pass over the East during the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to be between 4 and 7 degrees.

Wind

A second yellow wind warning is in place for counties along the west coast, including Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick.

Met Éireann said there will be winds of between 55 and 60 km/h near the coasts, and the wind warning is in place through Wednesday up to midnight.

The weather for Wednesday night is set to bring heavy hail and sleet to many areas of the country, and temperatures will drop to as low as zero degrees.

Snow will be confined to northern and hilly areas.

The outlook after Wednesday shows the weather is set to gradually improve and get warmer through Thursday and Friday, with some spells of rain over the rest of the week.