LAST UPDATE | 19 mins ago

LOCAL COUNCILS AND the Road Safety Authority of Ireland have issued warnings to road users to exercise caution while travelling after Met Éireann issued a status yellow warning for snow and ice across counties Cavan, Donegal and Leitrim.

All of Ulster is under a snow and ice alert, with the UK Met Office putting out a similar warning for counties Armagh, Antrim, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone.

Last week, Met Éireann put out a weather advisory and warned that people are in for “quite a shock” this week as temperatures plummet from the relatively mild weather seen so far in November.

The forecaster said last week that the northern half of the country can expect some sleet and snow next week during the first “cold snap” of the season.

The alert is in place across Cavan, Donegal and Leitrim from 7pm this evening to 8am tomorrow morning. Snowfall accumulations are possible this evening and overnight and possible impacts include poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions.

Road users warned

Cavan County Council has advised that its crews will be on standby to salt the roads in the case of ice, but that road users are advised “that rain and sleet in particular can wash away the salt, limiting its effectiveness.”

“Extreme caution should be exercised at *all* times on *all* roads, regardless of whether they’ve been treated, and all motorists should reduce speed accordingly,” the council posted on X.

Extreme caution should be exercised at *all* times on *all* roads, regardless of whether they've been treated, and all motorists should reduce speed accordingly. 3/3https://t.co/daz5CZwId5 pic.twitter.com/rATjbqqwTs

— Cavan County Council (@cavancoco) November 18, 2024

Monaghan County Council has also advised people to exercise caution.

The RSA highlighted the warning from Met Éireann, and said on X that possible impacts could include poor visibility and difficult travelling conditions.

General weather 

The alert across the rest of Ulster issued by the UK Met Office comes into place at 3pm and will remain in place until 10am tomorrow.

The UK Met Office has warned of snow and icy surfaces, which could lead to difficult travel conditions this afternoon and evening, and overnight into Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, it will be a cold, wet day today across much of the country as temperatures drop significantly.

According to Met Éireann, rain in Munster and Connacht will today spread northwards and become widespread later this afternoon.

The rain will turn heavy at times, and may fall as sleet or snow in parts of Ulster and north Connacht later this evening.

There will be highs of three to six degrees over the north of the country, with higher temperatures of seven to 12 degrees elsewhere, in light to moderate breezes.

Tonight will see further spells of rain, with some snow accumulations possible in Ulster and north Connacht, especially in hilly areas.

It will become drier by morning, with some frost and ice developing.

Temperatures will drop further to between -1 and +5 degrees. 

Tomorrow will be cold again, with falls of rain, sleet and snow clearing south during the afternoon.

The rest of the day will be a mixture of showers and sunny spells, with highest temperatures of 3 to 6 degrees generally and from 5 to 8 in Munster, while the rest of the week will remain cold with frost and ice forming in many places. 

- With additional reporting from Diarmuid Pepper