Minus seven tonight amid two weather warnings

Weather update from Met Éireann

Widespread frost and icy conditions will persist through the rest of the week with any showers potentially falling as sleet or snow.

Extremely cold conditions are being forecast tonight as a Status Orange low temperature/ice warning will take effect from 6pm this evening for 19 mainly inland and southern counties.

They include Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, Westmeath, Offaly and Leitrim among others.

Met Éireann is predicting that temperatures could reach minus seven degrees tonight leading to severe frost and ice.

That warning will remain in place until noon tomorrow (Thursday), while an ongoing status yellow low temperature warning for the entire country continues until noon on Friday.

Temperatures will remain below freezing this morning, reaching between zero and plus 1 degree in the afternoon, slightly higher at coasts, falling quickly again and down to as low as minus 4 degrees by late afternoon, continuing to fall during the evening. It'll be a mainly dry and sunny day, with isolated showers in the northwest and north. Light to moderate north to northeast winds.

Temperatures will reach as low as minus 7 degrees widely tonight, and locally several degrees lower, temperatures at the coasts will be around minus 1 to plus 1 degrees. Remaining generally clear and dry in a light northerly breeze, though there will be isolated showers in the north and northwest, falling as sleet and snow at times.

Temperatures on Thursday will remain below freezing during the morning everywhere, with some parts of the midlands staying well below freezing through the day, in the afternoon temperatures generally will be between zero and plus 2 degrees, a few degrees higher on coasts. It'll be mainly dry and sunny. There will be a few showers of rain and sleet in the north and northwest. Winds will be light northwesterly.

There'll be snow and sleet across parts of Ulster on Thursday night, most other places will stay dry.

Patches of freezing fog may develop as winds fall light. Temperatures again as low as minus seven degrees fairly widely, staying closer to zero to minus 2 degrees where fog thickens in a light westerly or variable breeze.

Friday may be foggy for a while in places, it'll be mainly dry with isolated showers on coasts creeping inland into western areas in the afternoon. Still very cold with afternoon temperatures no higher than plus 1 to 4 degrees in light to moderate southwest winds.

Lowest temperatures of minus 3 degrees to plus 2 degrees on Friday night, there'll be lingering showers of rain and sleet in western areas otherwise it will stay dry.

Mainly dry and sunny on Saturday, apart from isolated coastal showers in the south and west. Turning cloudier after nightfall. Daytime temperatures of 2 to 4 degrees generally, temperatures along the south coast will creep up to 7 or 8 degrees.

There is still a good deal of uncertainty in the forecast from Saturday night and Sunday onwards. Current indications suggest that an increasing southerly wind will bring rain and a spell of milder weather for a time.