Status Orange Snow Warnings are kicking in for most of Munster today, with the national forecaster warning of significant snowfall and a risk of flooding in some counties.
A spate of weather alerts have been issued for the south west - including a Status Orange Snow-Ice warning for Clare, Limerick and Tipp (starting at 12am) as well as a nationwide low temperature alert which will kick off at 8am.
From midnight onwards, Cork will also be under a Status Orange alert for Snow and Rain, where heavy downpours are expected to turn to sleet and snowfall overnight. It's bad news for the many people hoping for an early 'White Christmas' as the wet weather could make it hard for any of the white stuff to stick.
Keep in mind however that none of these warnings are set in stone. Met Éireann have already updated their alerts for Cork three times already this morning, changing times and severity - so there could well be more changes later today.
Weather trackers are currently showing a band of snow moving into North Cork late tonight, which will slowly move south heading into tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it also looks like the rain will be hitting at around the same time.
See the handy live radar for NEW SNOW here:
For SNOW DEPTH:
And for rain:
The national forecaster is warning of very difficult travel conditions, risks of flooding and likely disruptions to public transport in Cork and Waterford during the Status Orange Alert. There are also concerns for animal welfare as the ISPCA advise that the public keep their pets indoors when temperatures drop below freezing.
Cork County Council say it will continue to treat roads with salt and grit this evening, and are urging motorists to avoid taking unnecessary journeys.
They have issued the following advice:
• Be mindful of icy surface conditions • Check on vulnerable and isolated neighbours • Keep your phone charged and take it with you on all journeys • In an emergency dial 999 or 112We can expect very chilly conditions with maximum temperatures of just 3C and falling to as low as -3C in some parts tonight. Things won't be getting any warmer up until Saturday, when the cold snap ends and temps shoot back up to 13C, with showers expected over the weekend.
