A new Status Orange warning is set to come into effect tonight with every county in the Republic except for Donegal to be placed under it.
The Status Orange low temperature warning issued by Met Éireann begins at 6pm and will remain in place until 11am on Thursday.
However, once that Orange warning lifts, the country will stll be under a Status Yellow warning until midday on Friday having been in place since 5pm on Sunday.
Met Eireann has said to expect extremely cold temperatures with widespread severe frost, ice and lying snow.
Impacts:
• Dangerous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot
• Travel disruption and delays
• Animal welfare issues
A separate Yellow ice warning has been issued by the Met Office for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry. It’s valid from 4pm Wednesday until 11am on Thursday. People in affected areas have been warned to beware of snow and icy patches and disruption to travel as a result.
It’s not only Ireland that has seen temperatures plummet to -10 or lower. In the UK, temperatures are set to plummet to as low as -16C, the coldest of the winter so far.
Temperatures are set to drop sharply, with lows of -16C possible in Scotland and northern England overnight on Thursday and sub-zero temperatures expected across the country.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday. Amber alerts issued on Thursday have been extended and will now run until January 12, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: “We are extending the duration of our Cold-Health Alert, since the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures we are seeing will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.
“This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable. These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”
By Friday and into the weekend, a big thaw will take place as temperatures rise to 10 degrees in parts.
“Certainly by the end of the weekend we’re moving to a milder air mass and it’ll slowly get introduced across the UK through Sunday,” Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office said.
“By Monday, the UK will broadly be in a milder air mass and we’ll see some rain moving in from the northwest into parts of western Scotland and potentially Northern Ireland as well.”
The latest Met Eireann forecast has been released as temperatures are not set to exceed 4 degrees. By tonight the mercury will drop to -6 degrees with wintry showers in the west and north.
Today
Most areas dry with bright or sunny spells. Some scattered wintry showers on the coast. Highest temperatures of -1 to +4 degrees with mostly light northerly breezes.
Tonight
Tonight will be very cold and largely dry. A few wintry showers will affect parts of the north and west. There will be severe frost, ice and patches of freezing fog. Lowest temperatures of -6 to -2 degrees with light variable breezes.
Tomorrow
Thursday morning be very cold with widespread frost, ice and some freezing fog, lingering throughout the day in some areas. Mainly dry with sunny spells. Scattered wintry showers in the north and west will become isolated. Highest temperatures of 1 to 4 degrees with light variable breezes.
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