Ireland’s coldest night of the year is predicted tonight as temperatures plummet to bitterly cold lows of -11C in places.
Donegal is expected to escape the worst of the chill over the coming days, but it will remain well below freezing during the nights ahead.
A status orange warning is in place for 19 counties tonight with Donegal, Mayo and Sligo under a status yellow alert.
We can expect lows of -6C in the north west tonight along with widespread frost and icy conditions.
Donegal is the only county not to have a severe ‘orange’ weather alert for Thursday and Friday.
A nationwide Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning will continue until Friday afternoon.
Met Eireann’s Ulster forecast says: “Temperatures on Thursday will remain below freezing during the morning, in the afternoon temperatures generally will be between zero and plus 2 degrees, a few degrees higher on coasts. It’ll be mainly dry and sunny. There will be a few showers of rain and sleet. Winds will be light northwesterly.”
“There’ll be snow and sleet across parts of Ulster on Thursday night, most other places will stay dry.
Patches of freezing fog may develop as winds fall light. Temperatures again as low as minus 7 degrees fairly widely, staying closer to zero to minus 2 degrees where fog thickens in a light westerly or variable breeze.
“Friday may be foggy for a while in places, it’ll be mainly dry with isolated showers on coasts creeping inland into western areas in the afternoon. Still very cold with afternoon temperatures no higher than plus 1 to 4 degrees in light to moderate southwest winds.
“Lowest temperatures of minus 3 degrees to plus 2 degrees on Friday night, there’ll be lingering showers of rain and sleet in western areas otherwise it will stay dry.”
