A Status Orange snow and ice warning has been issued by Met Eireann this evening, with a danger of heavy snowfalls in certain parts of the country.

The warning, which was issued earlier this evening, will come into effect on Sunday, March 18, at 3:00am. This will remain in place until 12:00pm that day.

Counties Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath and Waterford are set to be affected by the snow and ice warning.

Scattered heavy snow showers will lead to accumulations in places and some drifting.

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow snow and ice warning will come into play at 12:00pm on Saturday for the entire country.

It is set to be very cold this weekend, with wind chill and icy patches. Snow showers are also likely, but some areas may stay dry – especially the north-west.

The warning is set to remain in place until 9:00am on Monday, March 19.

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is set to be a cold and windy day that will continue to get colder through the day, with scattered showers progressively turning more wintry.

Temperatures will vary between 1º and 3º in the eastern half of the country; values will increase to as high as 6º in the west. Blustery easterly winds will add a significant wind chill, Met Eireann added.

Tomorrow night will continue with scattered wintry showers, mainly in the north and east. There is a risk of temperatures falling to between -1º and -4º, with a widespread sharp frost.

Outlook

It is forecast to remaining very cold on Sunday, with scattered wintry showers becoming more widespread for a time before dying out later.

North-east to east winds will continue fresh to strong adding a wind chill to the afternoon temperatures of just 1º to 4º, the Irish meteorological office explained.

Sunday night will become mostly dry with just the odd wintry shower in the east and south. Temperatures will be quite similar to the previous night.

Meanwhile, Monday is expected to be mostly dry with just the odd wintry flurry. Easterly winds will gradually ease and top temperatures will be a degree or so higher.

Monday night will be mostly dry with good clear spells and it is likely to be very cold with a severe frost as winds fall light, Met Eireann added.