Cold weather warnings issued as temperatures set to drop further over weekend

02 Jan 2026, 13:49 by Eoghan Dalton, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/eoghan-dalton/ · TheJournal.ie

LAST UPDATE | 23 hrs ago

TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET to as low as -4 in the coming nights as Status Yellow weather warnings take effect for the entire country, with possible snow in some counties.

Similar warnings have been issued by the UK Met Office for Northern Ireland, where drivers have been advised to exercise “extreme caution” when on the road after freezing conditions over recent nights.

Both Met Éireann and the Met Office have issued a number of alerts for the coming 72 hours. Here are the details:

Status Yellow – Snow-Ice warning

For: Donegal
From: 8pm tonight
Until: 11am Saturday

Status Yellow – Snow-Ice warning

For: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry
From: 3pm
Until: Midday Saturday

Status Yellow – Low Temperature/Ice warning

For: Munster, Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
From: 6pm tomorrow
Until: 11am Sunday

Status Yellow – Snow-Ice warning

For: Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Connacht, Louth,
From: 6pm tomorrow
Until: 11am Sunday

Status Yellow – Snow-Ice warning

For: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry
From: 12pm tomorrow
Until: Midday Monday

Status Yellow – Low Temperature/Ice warning

For: Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Connacht, Louth
From: 6pm Sunday
Until: 11am Monday

While it will remain dry and often sunny in Ireland, Met Éireann has warned of “sharp to severe” frosts developing overnight.

This may be slow to clear during the daytime and also see tricky driving conditions.

Tonight will see temperatures fall to -2 in parts, but Saturday and Sunday night are both expected to see temperatures hit lows of -4.

Some freezing fog patches also in store according to Met Éireann.

The forecaster has outlined that temperatures will climb back to between 1 and 6 degrees on Sunday daytime before plunging again when the sun goes down.

Some wintry showers can be expected over the weekend, largely confined to the north and west.

The harsh cold is expected to return again on Monday night but it will turn less cold then as cloud builds from the west through the night.

In Scotland, amber alerts have been issued for heavy snow in a number of areas.

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