MET ÉIREANN UPDATE: Heavy snow forecast, but Kilkenny may escape worst

MET Éireann has updated its current weather warning, warning “significant accumulations” of snow are expected this week.

However, Kilkenny may escape heavy blizzards as worst of the snowfall is forecast for the North and West regions.

The national forecaster said there will be showers of hail, sleet and snow today, heaviest in the South-West, West and North.

Temperatures will rise to just 2C degrees to 5C, before plummeting to as low as -3C tonight.

The nationwide Status Yellow snow-ice weather warning is to last until the weekend.

Met Éireann updated the warning with more information shortly after 10am this morning. They are due to review it again tomorrow morning.

Parts of the country woke up to the first sightings of snow this morning, including Westport in Co Mayo and the Wicklow mountains.

Met Éireann said the wintry showers will become more “isolated” tomorrow, but significant snowfall is expected later in the evening and on Thursday, according to Met Éireann.

“It’s tonight that the showers will leave falls of of snow, as temperatures drop to below freezing, between 0 and -3C. The wintry showers tomorrow will become more isolated, and the winds will ease as well,” Met Éireann forecaster John Eagleton told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“The big threat of snow this week is on Wednesday night and during Thursday, as the winds turn easterly in direction and as the pressure to the south of Ireland injects moisture to those easterly winds.

“Once that threat passes, it will remain cold and frosty for Friday and the weekend, and then temperatures will start to creep up again at the start of next week.”

Motorists have been warned there will be widespread frosts and icy stretches on untreated roads.

AA Roadwatch are urging motorists to keep distance between cars and to use “gentle manoeuvres”.