A NATIONAL warning is in place for Ireland as snow and ice are expected to blanket parts of the country.
The status yellow weather warning is in place until 9pm on Friday, December 29.
Met Éireann have said 21 counties are to expect ice and snowfall in the next 24 hours.
Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Leitrim, Cork, Limerick and Tipperary are under a status yellow warning to expect snow accumulations of less than 2cm this evening into tonight.
However, any snow clearing to rain by Friday morning.
Looking towards the weekend, heavy rain will spread from the southwest on Friday turning to snow as it tracks northwards. A clearance to milder weather with fresh westerly winds will follow into all but Ulster overnight.
There will be snow Saturday morning over Ulster will clear away and mainly dry weather with sunny spells will follow for all areas.
Temperatures ranging from seven degrees in the north to 12 or 13 degrees in the southwest.
Another spell of heavy rain will move into the southwest from the Atlantic Saturday evening and extend to all areas during Saturday night in strong locally gale force southwesterly winds, possibly very strong in northwestern areas for a time.
Sunday will be a cool, blustery day with sunny spells. Dry in the east and southeast, scattered showers of rain or hail elsewhere, with temperatures of six to nine degrees in fresh southwesterly winds. Lowest temperatures Sunday night are forecast to be one to four degrees with a slight frost.
