Met Éireann today (Saturday, January 4) issued a Status Orange rain and snow warning for Cork, Kerry and Waterford.
The Status Orange warning will come into effect from 5:00p.m today January 4) and remain in place until tomorrow at 5:00p.m Sunday (January 5).
The national meteorological service stated that heavy rain in these counties will transition to “sleet and snow with significant accumulations expected”.
It has warned that this will result in “very difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility”.
There is also likely to be travel disruptions to public transport and potential “animal welfare issues”
Met Éireann
The entire country is now currently under either Status Orange or Status Yellow weather warnings.
According to Met Éireann there is currently a Status Orange weather warning in place for Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Cork, Kerry and Waterford from 5:00p.m today until 5:00p.m tomorrow.
There is also a Status Yellow weather warning in place for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Connacht and Wexford from 5:00p.m today until 5:00p.m tomorrow.
The UK Met Office has also issued a yellow weather snow and Ice warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry which is in place from 9:00p.m. today until tomorrow 6:00p.m.
Meanwhile the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) has said it is continuing to liaise with Met Éireann and is monitoring weather conditions.
Keith Leonard, national director of NDFEM has warned that there will be “difficult travel conditions for much of the country in the coming days”.
“Driving conditions will be hazardous, even where roads are gritted – so I urge people to slow down, drive with caution, be aware of other road users and allow extra time for your journey.
“It’s important that drivers travelling longer journeys are aware of conditions right along their route, as the weather may vary significantly across different parts of the country,” he added.
Minister for Agriculture
Separately the outgoing Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and outgoing Minister of State with special responsibility for Farm Safety, Martin Heydon have both urged farmers to prioritise safety during current weather conditions.
The ministers said it is important that farmers have measures in place to ensure outwintered and housed livestock have access to fresh water during freezing conditions.
They also advised that supplies of drinking water should be checked daily, and surface ice broken on troughs twice per day.
It is also important that taps are not left running to prevent freezing.
Farmers have also be advised to check that reserve storage tanks are full of fresh water and that herding out-wintered livestock should be carried out during daylight hours.
The ministers have also appealed to everyone in rural communities to check in on elderly neighbours and those living alone.