Met Eireann issues severe weather warning as polar winds sweep in

East Leinster is due to be hit today by the worst weather so far this year, according to Met Éireann, as heavy snow showers sweep across Irish Sea coastal counties.

Met Éireann last night issued a severe weather warning as polar winds began to "feed in" from the Irish Sea bringing snow and sleet showers, frost and freezing fog to most Leinster counties and Donegal.

The rest of the western counties and most of the southwest and midlands should escape today's snows and will remain mostly bright and dry throughout the day. The worst of the snow will hit counties Louth, Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford today, and according to Met Éireann, it will be the heaviest falls the areas have seen so far this winter.

"The last couple of days have been the coldest this winter, it hasn't got above three or four degrees during the day, particularly in the east, which is having the coldest spell in a long time," Met Éireann forecaster Mr Vincent O'Shea said.

Highest daytime temperatures today will range from just one to four degrees and at night it could drop as low as minus five degrees in some areas, making it a "bitterly cold night", Mr O'Shea said.

The snow is most likely to lie in drifts in upland areas, particularly in the Wicklow and Dublin mountains. "There will be significant variations in the depth of the snow. It will be a lot deeper in the mountains, but areas at sea level, including Dublin city may get away completely without any snow on the ground." Even where the snow doesn't stick, roads will be very dangerous today and tonight throughout the country, he said.

"There will be very widespread and severe frosts bringing dangerous icy patches and the roads will be dangerous everywhere if they're not treated. Drivers should take extreme caution and care, particularly on smaller side roads which are unlikely to be gritted. Any dampness at all will freeze over and there will be extensive slippy patches."

County and city councils last night said they would be doing their utmost to ensure that as many roads as possible are gritted over the coming days.

"We have 16 gritters and 10,000 tonnes of salt on hand to manage the roads," a spokeswoman for Dublin City Council said. "We've been on weather alert for the last few weeks and we feel we're well equipped to deal with whatever comes our way." In addition to gritters, the council would have extra cleansing staff on duty to ensure that pathways were kept clear and safe.

Louth County Council had six salt trucks clearing the roads yesterday and intends to double the rate of salting over the coming days, Mr Donal Clarke, a senior executive engineer with the council said. "We'll be out spreading on national roads, regional roads and main county roads, and if things get really bad we'll mobilise the local farmers."