Met Éireann issues ice warning for 22 counties as Sunday is set to end big freeze

The ice warning will take effect for all counties from 5pm today, except for those on the southern coast: Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford.

It will last until 9am on Sunday morning.

Sunday will bring the curtain down on one of Ireland’s most prolonged cold spells in years as temperatures will return to the teens for some counties on Sunday.

Today will begin with scattered showers of sleet and snow on higher ground with areas of mist and fog also likely in parts of the north midlands.

The country will slowly start thawing out as Saturday progresses with highs of 7 degrees in southern and western coastal counties and slightly colder with highs of 1-4 degrees elsewhere.

Saturday night will see temperatures dip below zero in places with scattered outbreaks of rain but into Sunday morning temperatures will begin to rise.

“Generally cloudy Sunday with scattered outbreaks of blustery rain, heaviest across southern and western counties, bringing possible spot flooding here, especially later.

The rain may turn wintry locally early on, further north of the country. Much milder than preceding days with highest temperatures ranging from eight degrees over north Ulster, to 12 or 13 degrees in the south, all in fresh and gusty southerly winds,” Met Éireann’s Siobhán Ryan said.

Sunday night will be unseasonably mild with temperatures not dropping below 10 degrees nationwide overnight, but there will be scattered outbreaks of blustery rain, heaviest across southern and western counties, bringing possible spot flooding.

Monday will also be wet and windy with blustery showers and outbreaks of rain leading to the risk of spot flooding in southern and western counties but it will again be mild for the time of year with highs of 10-13.

“Rather windy on Tuesday too with sunny spells and showers, most frequent across Atlantic counties, some heavy with hail. Highest temperatures of seven to nine degrees in fresh to strong and gusty southwest winds. Cold and blustery on Tuesday night with clear spells and showers right across the country, some heavy and of hail. Lowest temperatures of 3 to 5 degrees, with a wind chill factor, all in brisk west to southwest winds,” Ms Ryan said.