Ireland weather: New maps show precisely when and where snow will fall and where it will be coldest

New weather maps of Ireland released on Wednesday show precisely when and where snow is set to fall and where temperatures will be at their coldest.

The new weather imagery comes only hours after Met Eireann issued two rare Orange Status alerts for snow for some parts of Ireland. The first Orange warning is for snow and rain and applies to counties Cork and Waterford between midnight and 12pm on Thursday. The second Orange alert applies to counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary and is for snow and ice and will also be active between midnight and 12pm on Thursday.

There is also a state-wide Yellow Status low temperature/ice warning in place between 8pm on Wednesday and 10am on Thursday. Met Eireann has also put out a Yellow Status weather warning of snow-ice for counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow, Galway and all of Munster - this alert will be active between 9pm on Wednesday and 12pm on Thursday.

READ MORE - Parts of Ireland facing 10 inches of snow as Met Éireann issues new warnings

READ MORE - 'Violent North Atlantic storm' on collision course with Ireland as expert warns it's 'one to watch

Meanwhile, the Met Office in the United Kingdom has issued a Yellow Status weather warning of ice for counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Tyrone and Derry - this will be active between 4pm on Wednesday and 10am on Thursday.

The snow will spread across Munster, Connacht and parts of Ulster however, counties Cork, Waterford, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Clare currently like they will experience the heaviest snowfall. Temperatures, according to the new weather maps from WXCharts.com are set to drop drastically over the coming days with Cork set for lows of -2°C and -5°C on Thursday and Friday morning respectively.

It should also be noted that due to the wind-chill factor, temperatures will feel much colder than what is being currently forecast. According to Met Eireann, the 'feels like temperature' for Cork on Thursday and Friday morning will be closer to -8°C and -6°C respectively.

These subzero temperatures are reflected throughout the entire country with Met Eireann reporting the following 'feels like temperatures' on Thursday morning at 8am for Dundalk (-2°C); Drogheda (-4°C); Dublin (-3°C); Waterford (-8°C); Killarney (-5°C); Limerick (-5°C); Galway (-6°C); Ballina (-4°C); Sligo (-3°C); Donegal Town (-5°C) and Letterkenny (-6°C).

"Down to -4c this morning with a hard frost and plenty of ice. Some showers continue in Northern areas. A cold day ahead with a significant risk of rain and sleet turning to snow in Southern areas later," wrote Alan O'Reilly on X, formerly Twitter, of Carlow Weather on Wednesday morning.

Met Eireann National Forecast:

Outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow will clear to the south tomorrow (Thursday) morning, leaving another very cold day with showers of rain, sleet and snow, most frequent across Connacht, Ulster and west Munster. Some icy stretches will linger through the day with temperatures reaching just 1°C to 4°C in light to moderate northwesterly winds, fresher near northern coasts.

Overview: Cold to the end of the working week with frost and icy patches, along with some falls of sleet, snow and hail. Turning milder and more unsettled this weekend with potential for a spell of wet and windy weather.

Thursday night: A cold night with widespread frost and icy stretches developing. Mostly dry with clear spells, though scattered showers of rain, sleet and snow will feed into Ulster, Connacht and Munster. Lowest temperatures of -4°C to +1°C in moderate westerly winds.

Friday: Mostly dry with spells of sunshine and just a few wintry showers near northern and Atlantic coasts. Highest temperatures of 3°C to 7°C in moderate southwest to west winds.

Friday night: Turning wet and windy overnight with heavy rain spreading across the country from the southwest, accompanied by strong to near gale force and gusty southeasterly winds. Some occasional falls of sleet are possible early in the night. There is a chance of localised flooding. Lowest temperatures of 0°C to 5°C but it will turn milder as the rain spreads.

Saturday: A wet and windy day with widespread and heavy rain, leading to localised flooding. Strong and gusty southerly winds. Milder with highest temperatures of 12°C to 15°C.

Sunday: Very windy on Sunday with strong southwesterly winds. A showery day with some heavy showers possible. Highest temperatures of 9°C to 12°C.

Further outlook: Current indications suggest it will become more settled in the early days of next week with drier conditions developing and winds easing.

Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.