SNOW, sleet and bitterly cold winds are expected to hit the north and east coasts of the country today, with temperatures dropping to below freezing. The freezing conditions are expected to continue into Sunday.
It is possible that Ireland will get a touch of the Siberian weather which affected England and Wales yesterday, where winds and snow kept temperatures below freezing in many places.
"It is very cold and getting colder", according to a spokesman for the Irish Meteorological Service last night. Temperatures were minus 3 Celsius in most places.
There will be snow showers in the north and east, probably starting this afternoon. A strong easterly wind will make it even colder and more uncomfortable. Roads will be icy tonight. The snow will not be too heavy but it could affect driving conditions. "If it comes it could freeze after dark and make road conditions slippy," said the spokesman.
"I don't think the snow will amount to much, but could be two or three inches in places. That is enough to make walking and driving quite hazardous. The north and east coasts will get the worst of it", he added.
The snow will get worse during the day and will continue tomorrow, but it should get milder on Sunday. Temperatures will barely rise above freezing during daylight, but at night they will be well below freezing.
Overall, though, it is not unusual weather for January. "We have been spoiled by having mild winters recently", the spokesman added.
In south Wales, 2,500 homes had a third freezing night without power as engineers battled to repair iced up cables. Much of southern and eastern England was affected by ice and snow.
In England, temperatures in Kent, East Anglia and the midlands plunged to -3C, making it colder than Budapest, and the wintery blast is expected to continue until the weekend. Icy winds of up to 20 m.p.h. from Siberian Russia are producing a wind chill factor, making temperatures drop another 8 C.
A spokesman for the London Weather Centre said "Most places have experienced light snow, but it is the cold wind and ice which are the main problems."
Motorists on the M25 and M26 were urged to drive carefully as ice and snow made conditions precarious. An AA spokesman said "People seem to be heeding our warnings and are driving carefully".
Two helicopters and 100 extra engineers have been brought in by South Wales Electricity, to speed repairs to badly iced cables and other equipment in the Rhymney Valley.