LAST UPDATE | 2 Mar

ANOTHER WEATHER WARNING has been issued for the whole country as temperatures are set to drop below zero tonight. 

A Status Yellow ice warning for Ireland will kick in at 8pm and will remain in place until 9am tomorrow. 

Met Éireann has warned that it will become icy in many areas tonight, especially in Ulster and Leinster. 

This may lead to hazardous road conditions, along with slippery paths and cycleways. 

Sudden snowfall over much of the country yesterday morning caused disruption for roads, schools and public transport. 

Looking at today’s forecast, Met Éuireann said it will be cold this morning with frost and icy stretches. 

Showers will be mainly of rain, but a few could fall as hail, sleet or snow, the forecaster said. 

Carlow Weather has reported snow over one metre deep in the Wicklow mountains this morning. 

A snowy morning on the Wicklow mountains with some areas very deep snow over 1m in parts. pic.twitter.com/8dKNx3L4mi

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) March 2, 2024

Tonight is due to be cold again with some icy stretches, as temperatures drop as low as -2 degrees. 

There will be a mix of clear spells and scattered showers and, again, Met Éireann has said  a few could fall as hail, sleet or snow.

Tomorrow morning is expected to be cold with some icy stretches. Sunny spells and scattered showers of rain and hail are expected at first, but they will become more isolated later in the day. 

Met Éireann has said temperatures will fall quickly after dark tomorrow night under clear skies. 

Frost and icy patches are to develop, with temperatures to drop as low as -1 degree. 

‘If we had a crystal ball’

While many areas of the country places under Status Yellow snow-ice and rain warnings yesterday, no Orange warnings were issued, despite the heavy snowfall.

Met Éireann meteorologist Brandon Creagh yesterday said it was not clear to forecasters until the morning that the snow would be as heavy and widespread at it has been.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Creagh said that models had originally expected the eastern half of the country to be hit with rain.

“They were predicting that the front that would move down and would turn to sleet or snow over higher ground, so we added into the warning that a mix of sleet or snow at times could lead to hazardous travelling conditions because of that risk,” Creagh said.

He said that snow is “notorious” for being the most difficult type of weather to forecast for in Ireland.

“If we had a crystal ball that we knew exactly what was going to happen, maybe that would have been an Orange warning, but given the risk at the time – we do not take our warnings lightly at all and we cannot over warn otherwise people will not believe the orange warning when they come,” he said.