Temperatures will drop to around -4C in many places across the country over the weekend as a number of warnings for snow, ice and low temperatures have been issued.
The warnings will start to come into effect this evening and will run until Sunday.
Met Éireann is warning of hazardous travel conditions and poor visibility.
The first of the warnings will come into effect at 8pm this evening with a Status Yellow snow and ice warning for Donegal in place until 11am tomorrow.
Senior forecaster Gerry Murphy has said 2cm to 3cm of snow could be expected in parts of north Connacht and Ulster.
Mr Murphy said that there will not be "exceptionally heavy" snow, but some wintry showers could fall as snow in northern counties.
Icy conditions in Derry as temperatures dropped overnight
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Brock, he said while the snow might not be exceptionally heavy, accumulations could build on higher ground.
Mr Murphy said there will be a widespread frost tonight as temperatures drop to around -2 degrees Celsius and that it will become progressively colder across the country over the weekend.
Daytime temperatures tomorrow will be between 1C and 5C, with the mercury dipping to around -4C overnight.
⚠️Status Yellow - Low Temperature/Ice warning for Munster, Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 2, 2026
Sharp or severe frost & icy stretches ❄️
Possible Impacts:
Hazardous travel conditions
🗓️18:00 Sat 03/01 to 11:00 Sun 04/01 pic.twitter.com/XtgmkFx45d
A Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning will be in effect from 6pm tomorrow until 11am on Sunday for Munster, Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
Temperatures will drop to between -4C and -2C overnight, with a sharp or severe frost and icy stretches forecast.
A separate Status Yellow snow and ice warning for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Connacht and Louth has been issued for 6pm tomorrow and will be in effect until 11am on Sunday.
Mr Murphy urged motorists to be aware of road conditions, with black ice in some places, particularly on untreated roads.
"On some of the minor roads, the conditions will be possibly treacherous."
As people begin to return to work and school on Monday, Mr Murphy said people should take account of ice and small amounts of snow.
"Monday itself will be a very cold day with some showers across the country, further to the west and north once again.
"As people get back on the roads on Monday morning, they will need to account for the fact that there will be ice in places, possibly some small amounts of lying snow in the west and north," he said.
Northern Ireland is under a number of warnings for snow and ice across the weekend.
The PSNI said the poor weather overnight led to treacherous conditions this morning in some areas as not all roads have been treated.
Spike in car breakdowns expected - AA Roadwatch
Meanwhile, drivers are being warned to expect a spike in car breakdowns on Monday, with AA Roadwatch saying there is a risk of battery failure in cars that may have been unused over the Christmas.
A spokesperson said: "Cold weather puts extra strain on older or weakened batteries, which is why we typically see a spike in call-outs at this time of year."
The AA is encouraging motorists to check their vehicles over the weekend and "make sure the battery is holding charge, especially in older vehicles or those with older batteries, which are far more likely to fail in cold conditions."
In the UK, some areas have seen up to 10cm of snow as bitterly cold weather is expected to continue across the weekend.
A number of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place, with the latest warnings reaching into Monday, while amber snow warnings for northern Scotland are in place until midday tomorrow.
At Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands there was in excess of 8cm of lying snow this morning, while Aboyne in Aberdeenshire had around 9cm of lying snow.
Forecasters have warned there could be snow accumulations of up to 20cm on low ground and up to 40cm on higher ground.
The amber cold health alert means that the weather is expected to have severe impacts across health and social care services.
Additional reporting PA
