Met Éireann has issued a nationwide Status Yellow low-temperature and ice warning as Ireland braces for severe winter conditions, with temperatures expected to plummet as low as -5C in some areas.
The alert, running from 6pm Thursday to 11am Friday, warns of “hazardous traveling conditions” and potential animal welfare issues. The forecaster predicts “very cold” conditions across the country, with most areas experiencing temperatures of -3C or below.
Thursday will bring “snow flurries” primarily in northern regions, while the weekend outlook appears more severe, with significant snow accumulations expected in some counties. Thursday night will see wintry showers and freezing fog in parts of the country.
Met Éireann’s Brandon Creagh told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that the most “impactful weather” is expected over the weekend. “As Saturday comes around it is looking like a low pressure system is going to interact with that cold weather, which could bring some widespread sleet or possibly even snowfall accumulations to some counties.”
According to The Irish Examiner, conditions will become drier next week, though a “bitterly cold Arctic airmass” will remain across the country, bringing hazardous conditions from lying snow, severe frost, ice, and scattered wintry showers.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland is under a Yellow Ice Warning, with the UK Met Office warning of icy patches on untreated surfaces across all six counties until 10am.