Snow and ice warnings in place for most counties over next 48 hours

Met Éireann has issued status yellow weather warnings for several counties over the next two days, advising that there could be up to 5cm of snow on Thursday.

The first Met Éireann advisory, in place until 8pm on Wednesday, warns of scattered hail and snow showers “with some accumulations in places and icy stretches on untreated surfaces”.

This warning is in place for Dublin, Louth, Meath, Cavan, and Monaghan. While in Northern Ireland, Antrim, Armagh and Down also have a yellow warning in place.

For Thursday, a second status yellow weather warning has been issued, extended to all counties in the Republic, except for Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal.

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The warning, which is in place for a 24-hour period from 8am on Thursday, warns of a band of sleet and snow spreading northeastwards and bringing snow accumulations of up to 5cm in some areas and higher over mountains.

A severe weather response meeting was held on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for the freezing conditions expected over the coming days.

Wednesday’s co-ordination meeting reviewed the weather warning and considered the potential impact of snow “to enable relevant preparations”, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) Crisis Management Team said.

The team will continue to meet daily to monitor the forecasts, the crisis management team said.

Snowploughs and gritting lorries are “ready to be called into action” if freezing temperatures bring ice and snow to the capital’s roads, Dublin City Council has said.

The council said its salt barns are “full to capacity” and staff are on standby to treat up to 300km of the city’s roads to ensure operational continuity throughout the prolonged period of poor weather.

Road gritting

Dublin City Council said crews from its road maintenance teams have been gritting roads every night this week. Its workers spread 150 tonnes of salt in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive has activated its Extreme Weather Protocol and has put in place contingency plans that will be operated for the duration of the status yellow advisory. Spare accommodation is currently available each night, with over 100 additional contingency beds able to become available if the weather deteriorates further, Dublin City Council said.

The Road Safety Authority is urging all road users to slow down and take extra care for the remainder of the week as wind, sleet, and snow are likely to lead to "poor visibility and hazardous conditions" across Connacht, Leinster, and Munster. It is advising all drivers and other road users to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on an essential journey.

Met Éireann forecasts that the cold weather felt on Wednesday will continue into the night, bringing “widespread frost and icy stretches”.

Rain, sleet and snow will develop in the southwest towards Thursday morning and it will become breezy , with fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds developing, strongest in the southwest. The lowest temperatures will be between -4 to 1 degrees.

On Thursday the sleet and snow will gradually extend northeastwards across Munster, Connacht and south Leinster through the day, with snow accumulations leading to hazardous conditions.

It will be windy and very cold with highest temperatures of 1 to 3 degrees, with an added wind chill factor due to fresh to strong and gusty southeasterly winds. Winds will be strongest in the west and southwest.

However, the national forecaster said this snowy weather will transition to rain in the west and south on Thursday night.

There will be some lingering sleet or snow in Leinster on Friday morning, while rain will continue in southern coastal counties.

During the afternoon, a band of rain will move in across the western half of the country, possibly turning to sleet or snow in the northwest.

The Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), meanwhile, has advised that pets should be kept indoors during the cold spell, particularly at night.

“Don’t leave them outside for long periods on freezing cold or wet days, ensure they have warm shelter away from the harsh wind or rain. Give them a little extra food and ensure there is clean (unfrozen) drinking water available,” they said.