All counties will be affected by ice warnings this evening (Monday, January 15), as the weather turns very cold with severe frost and icy stretches.
Low temperatures and ice will lead to difficult travelling conditions, issues for vulnerable people, as well as animal welfare issues, Met Éireann said.
Weather warnings for all counties will come into effect from 6:00p.m today and will remain in place until 11:00a.m tomorrow (Tuesday, January 16).
Scattered wintry showers will give way to more widespread sleet or snow for a time overnight in Donegal with the potential for small accumulations.
Snow and ice
Snow showers will also bring some disruption to Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, and Derry until 11:00a.m tomorrow, according to Met Éireann.
The national forecaster warned of outbreaks of sleet and snow with small accumulations tonight and tomorrow morning in Cavan, Monaghan, Leitrim, and Louth.
Snow and ice will lead to dangerous driving conditions, poor visibility, and animal welfare issues in these counties between midnight and 11:00a.m tomorrow.
Farming outlook
The past week has been much drier than average across the country with less than 5mm of rain recorded, which is 5% or less of the normal rainfall amount.
Mean air temperatures over the last week were generally below average by between 1.4° and 4.1°, according to Met Éireann’s latest farming commentary issued today.
Mean soil temperatures were generally 1° below average. The coming week will be much colder than average for much of the country with mean air temperatures of 3° to 6°.
Sharp to severe frosts are expected for many at night, with daytime highs struggling in the low single figures early next week. Mean soil temperatures will continue to drop this week.
Drying conditions will be generally poor over the coming week due to cold conditions and mostly light winds, however, they will improve moderately in prolonged sunshine.
With mostly light winds and limited precipitation, there will be spraying opportunities over the coming days, especially away from the north.
However, tomorrow won’t be a good day for spraying due to increased cloud cover and some precipitation, the national forecaster said.
Currently, most soils types are just above saturated with poorly drained soils water logged. This week will see soils becoming drier for a time, including poorly drained soils in the south.