Ireland weather: Met Eireann issues snow and ice warning to five counties
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Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow snow and ice warning for five counties, with chilly conditions expected on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
The warning affects Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Louth, and will be in effect from 10pm on Saturday until 9am on Sunday.
The national forecaster has warned of poor visibility, temporary ice patches and difficult travel conditions in these areas. This comes as 13 counties are already under Status Yellow wind warnings in Ireland and Northern Ireland, some of which will last until Sunday afternoon.
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A warning from the UK Met Office affecting five of the six counties in Northern Ireland - Antrim, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry - began at 7am on Saturday and will last until just before midnight.
Meanwhile, a Met Éireann wind warning for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo came into effect at 3am on Saturday and will last until 2pm on Sunday.
Clare, Kerry and Limerick are also under a separate Met Éireann wind warning that started at 3pm on Saturday and will last until 3pm on Sunday.
In all eight counties on the western seaboard, Met Éireann has warned of potential wave overtopping and/or spray, difficult travel conditions, especially near the coast, and possible fallen trees.
Here's what Met Éireann has to say about the weather for the next few days, reports the Irish Mirror.
Saturday: The rain in the south and east will clear quickly this morning, then it will be a windy day with sunshine and showers. Fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds will reach gale force along Atlantic coasts.
Afternoon temperatures 6 to 10 degrees.
Saturday night: It will still be windy with showers becoming widespread overnight, some heavy and wintry with a mix of rain, hail, sleet and snow, the snow mainly on hills and in the north of the country. Lowest temperatures 2 to 4 degrees with fresh to strong and gusty westerly winds veering northwesterly overnight.
Sunday: Sunday morning will continue windy with blustery showers, some heavy with a mix of rain, hail, sleet and possibly some snow, becoming confined to the west and north in the afternoon. Fresh to strong and gusty northwesterly winds will reach gale force on western and northern coasts.
Winds will begin to ease towards evening. Afternoon temperatures 5 to 8 degrees.
Sunday night: Showers will gradually become isolated and there'll be clear spells for a time. Cloud will increase from the west overnight with rain and drizzle developing there by morning.
Lowest temperatures 2 to 5 degrees with northwest winds easing and veering westerly.
Monday: Stay tuned for more updates.
On Monday, expect light rain or drizzle to spread eastwards throughout the morning and continue for the rest of the day. A shift in temperature is on the cards as light to moderate southerly winds will cause temperatures to slowly rise, reaching 10 to 13 degrees in the afternoon.
As for Christmas Eve through to St. Stephen's Day, it'll be mostly cloudy with occasional light rain or drizzle, but largely dry.
Daytime temperatures will hover around 11 or 12 degrees, with little fluctuation during the night.