Live weather: No thaw today as cold snap takes hold with Storm Bert ...

A number of status orange and yellow alerts are in place, warning of snow, ice and rain. 

A status orange snow and rain warning for Cork and Waterford will be in place until midday on Thursday with Met Éireann saying there will be "heavy rain transitioning to sleet and snow". Met Éireann said there will be "very difficult" travelling conditions today, with poor visibility, disruption and delays to public transport and "difficult conditions underfoot".

A separate status orange snow and ice warning for Clare, Limerick and Tipperary is also in place, with "significant snowfall accumulations" expected in these counties before the warning lifts at midday.

Met Éireann Deputy Head of Forecasting Liz Coleman told RTÉ radio that a band of rain has “shifted southwards” and snowfall is now being reported in parts of Limerick and Cork.

“So not much in the way of thaw today. A lot of icy stretches and dangerous conditions on the road particularly when the sun sets. We ask people not to go out if it is not necessary. There are a lot of untreated roads out there.” 

Meanwhile, Storm Bert will hit the country on Friday with Met Éireann issuing a status yellow wind and rain warning for the whole of Ireland. 

It will become "very wet and windy on Friday night, with further spells of strong winds and heavy rain over the weekend". The warning, which will be in place from 10pm on Friday until midday on Sunday, will see "very strong southeast to south winds coupled with heavy rain".

Possible impacts include localised flooding, travel disruption and fallen trees.

Elsewhere, due to the snowy weather on Thursday, two collisions were reported on the M6 in Westbound in Galway early this morning, while the N59 in Galway remains impassable due a separate incident.

Kerry County Council also said two trucks had broken down on the Abbeyfeale side of the county border, causing a blockage on the main Limerick to Kerry route.

A council spokesperson said the situation "is deteriorating in the last hour, particularly in the north and east of the county" and advised those travelling to exercise "extreme caution".

The Conor Pass R560 is also impassable, and conditions are also treacherous on the N69 in Kerry between Tralee and Listowel. The council said a snowplough is attending to improve the situation.

Meanwhile, snow has been falling in parts of Cork, Kerry, Clare and Mayo, and Galway. An estimated 20mm of rain has fallen over Cork since midnight with snow being reported in North Cork and in city suburbs. There are also reports of some ice and sleet in the north of the county.

Kerry County Council said heavy snowfall has been reported between Abbeyfeale and Castleisland and between Brennans Glen and Farranfore. Snow has also been reported in Kilfinane and Newcastle West.

In Cork, heavy rain overnight has transitioned to sleet and snow leading to dangerous driving conditions in several areas including Newmarket, Rockchapel, Charleville, Mitchelstown, Macroom, Millstreet and Coachford.

It’s snowing in Ballyhea North Cork#Carlowweather #sneachta pic.twitter.com/YdhNrLNr9f

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A spokesperson for Cork County Council said crews had carried out pre-emptive gritting overnight and have been repeating salting and gritting since early this morning. 

"Snow ploughs have also been deployed where required and crews are progressing on a priority basis," the spokesperson said. 

"Motorists are being urged to drive with extreme care even on roads that have been gritted. Hazardous driving conditions may persist throughout the day."

Train services operating out of Cork's Kent Station, and flights in and out of Cork Airport were running on time. However, Cork Airport has said that travelling conditions on N27 and R600 are difficult, and motorists heading to the airport should allow for extra time to get there safely.

Yellow warning extended

A wintery scene at the Wicklow Gap in County Wicklow on Wednesday. Picture: Eamonn Farrell RollingNews.ie

A status yellow low temperature and ice warning is also in place for the entire country, with very cold conditions expected to lead to widespread frost and icy stretches. While this warning will lift at midday, another similar warning will take effect from 8pm on Thursday until midday on Friday. 

Another status yellow snow and ice warning, affecting Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow, Munster, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath, and Longford is also in place until midday.

In a statement on Wednesday night, Taoiseach Simon Harris said he had been briefed on the forecast and warnings and encouraged the public to "heed the weather warnings and ensure you take all the necessary steps over the coming days".

The RSA has said conditions on the roads will be icy for at least the next 24 hours. File Picture

Meanwhile, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has urged advised motorists in impacted areas to "avoid unnecessary trips."

RSA spokesperson David Martin told Newstalk that drivers should remove ice from windows and mirrors with a screen scraper instead of hot water.

"If you do have to go out and use your car, first of all remove all snow and ice from your vehicle before you start off.

"You don't want any snow on the roof becoming loose and dropping onto your windscreen," he said. 

"If you do need to go out exercise extreme caution. It is going to be icy for the next 24 hours at least.” 

Cyclists are being advised to wear high-visibility clothing and to make sure their bike lights are working.

Alan O’Reilly from Carlow Weather says weather conditions will be “much milder” from tomorrow night in to Saturday. However wet and windy conditions could see a “potential storm moving across Ireland throughout the weekend.” 

"We need to keep a close eye on that as well as the cold spell because it will change very quickly," he said.

Outlook over the next few days

Met Éireann says that while the wintry outbreaks will clear by midday, icy stretches will linger throughout the day in places.

While sunshine will develop, a few scattered wintry showers will follow into Atlantic counties. Highest temperatures on Thursday will range from 1C to 4C.

Thursday night will be very cold with widespread frost and further icy stretches. Temperatures tonight will drop back to around -4 to 1C in moderate westerly winds.

Friday is expected to be a mostly dry day with spells of sunshine, though tomorrow morning will be quite frosty and icy starting out, with a "dusting of snow" in some places. Highest temperatures Friday will range from 3C to 7C.

Friday night will be quite wet and windy with heavy rain extending from the southwest, accompanied by very strong and gusty southeasterly winds. Spot flooding is likely with some falls of sleet in places too, mainly across north and northwest counties. Lowest temperatures will range from around 0C to 5C, coldest across Ulster.