'Significant Snow' Forecast With Lows Of -5 Ahead Of 'Multi-Weather Hazard Event'

Met Éireann has warned of "significant snow" ahead of a "multi-weather hazard event" in the coming days with lows of minus 5 degrees forecast.

A status orange snow and rain warning will be in place for counties Cork, Kerry and Waterford from 5pm on Saturday until 5pm on Sunday.

In the same time period, there will be a status orange snow and ice warning for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.

There is also a status yellow rain warning in place for Cork, Kerry and Waterford from 1pm on Saturday until 5pm on Sunday.

Another status yellow warning, for snow and ice, comes into effect at 5pm for counties Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and all of Connacht. This warning expires at 5pm on Sunday.

A status yellow rain and snow warning is in place for Wexford, coming into effect from 5pm and also for 24 hours.

A UK Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice will be in place for counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone from 9pm on Saturday until 6pm on Sunday.

On Saturday, the national forecaster said rain will extend northwards over the country, turning to sleet and snow through the afternoon and evening.

There will be overnight rain, sleet and snow, with more in the way of rain and sleet in eastern and southern coastal areas, but there will be some snowfall at times.

Sunday is due to bring "significant accumulations of snow in some regions".

The midlands and southwest of the country are most likely to see snow, according to Met Éireann.

Temperatures are due to drop further on Sunday night, falling to as low as minus 5 degrees.

Meanwhile, Monday is forecast to be "bitterly cold".

Met Éireann said: "Bitterly cold on Monday with widespread frost and lying snow. There'll be sunshine and scattered wintry showers, the wintry showers mainly confined to western and northern regions. Top temperatures generally ranging from zero to +3 degrees but staying below freezing over snow-fields.

"Clear spells and scattered sleet and snow showers on Monday night, the showers most frequent in the west and north. Widespread frost and ice with lowest temperatures of -5 to zero degrees in moderate west to northwest winds."

Taoiseach Simon Harris has urged people to heed advice from authorities.

"The request is to not just think about what the weather is like in the destination you're setting out from, but actually think about what it might be like in the destination you're travelling to... so please, please follow any advice that may be issued in the coming hours.

"Please proceed with extreme caution, because we are expecting very, very dangerous travelling conditions."

Mr Harris said the Cold Weather Emergency Plan for rough sleepers has been activated as temperature plunge across the country.