Ground temperatures as low as minus 12 degrees were recorded in the midlands early yesterday morning, as the country continued to be held in a cold snap.
However, the Meteorological Service admitted it may have overestimated the amount of snow which it forecast for today, even though many areas of the country had snow and others had sleet and hail showers yesterday.
The heaviest snowfalls were recorded in the Ulster counties and in Connacht, as a frontal system moved across the country during the day. Most upland areas across the country north of a line between Wicklow and Clare had quite substantial falls of snow, but coastal areas remained snow-free. "The weather will continue to be very cold with icy roads which will create dangerous conditions. That will probably continue until Friday when the weather is expected to become milder than in the past week," said a Met Service spokesman.
"We may have overestimated the amount of snow for the period, but the low temperatures were in line with our predictions," he said.
Most areas, he said, could expect some falls of hail, sleet and snow as another weak front moves across the country later today before clear overnight skies bring severe frosts tonight.
The Southern Health Board yesterday issued advice to older people about how to minimise the impact of the cold weather. It advised them to wear layers of clothing rather than one big garment. It recommended eating hot meals supplemented with hot drinks during the cold period, and advised older people to stay in one room, keeping it warm all the time.
The board also advised people living on their own to have emergency numbers at hand and stock up with non-perishable supplies. It asked neighbours and relatives of elderly people - together with its own staff - to be on the alert for the needs of older people at this time.
Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, yesterday told farmers to be particularly careful in protecting vulnerable animals outdoors against wind chill.
Mr Gerry Scully, chief sheep adviser with Teagasc, said that young lambs and young cattle can be affected by wind chill. "If the air temperature is 3 degrees and the wind speed is 25 miles per hour, then the wind-chill temperature is minus 5 degrees. Likewise, if the air temperature is minus 1 degree with the same wind speed then the wind-chill temperature is actually minus 9 degrees," he said.
Animals lose heat through the skin. As the wind increases in cold weather, heat is drawn out of the animals' bodies, driving down their temperatures. Mr Scully said ewes with young lambs should be moved to fields with shelter from the north winds.
Flocks should be fed extra meals and shepherded regularly. He asked farmers to watch for lambs being left on their own.
Farmers should get weak lambs indoors, dry them off and, with a stomach tube, feed them about 50ml of lamb milk replacer per kilo of bodyweight.