Eva Osborne
Met Éireann has said Thursday has seen a “very cold and treacherous start”, with more wintry outbreaks expected as the day progresses.
There is snow lying across parts of the Midlands, West and Southwest as well as frost and ice, with spot flooding across southern fringes.
Wintry outbreaks will clear southwards with sunshine and scattered wintry showers will follow, Met Éireann said.
There will be highs of just 1 to 4C.
Heavy snowfall is expected across much of Ireland, with Met Éireann extending its warnings to more counties.
Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Galway and Waterford have been under a status orange snow warning from midnight, with significant snowfall accumulations expected.
A yellow alert for snow and ice has come into effect for 17 counties (Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow, Munster, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon) until 12pm on Thursday.
Heavy rain moving up from the south transitioned to sleet and snow on Wednesday night and will continue through Thursday morning, with accumulations of 5cm or more in 12 hours likely.
Met Éireann said this will cause significant travel disruptions and difficult ground conditions during Thursday, especially during the morning rush hour.
