Councils in the North West have confirmed they are prepared for freezing weather which is expected to hit the region over the next few days.
Met Eireann have issued a status orange snow and ice warning with counties Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim expected to receive the worst of it as temperatures could fall to as low as minus five.
The status orange snow and ice warning is in effect for counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo and Cavan from 6pm this evening.
It will stay in effect until 6pm on Friday.
Snow is expected to fall in the region from the early hours of Thursday morning and temperatures are expected to drop to as low as minus five degrees in places.
Matthew Martin from Met Eireann says the worst of the snow will be away from coastal areas.
He says snow will accumulate mostly on higher ground but lower areas can expect some snow to stick:
Local councils have issued warnings to the public in particular drivers ahead of the expected snow and ice accumulations.
Donegal county council are reminding road users to take extra care and allow more time to complete their journeys.
Motorists and road users in Donegal can stay up to date on routes to be gritted by checking the Donegal Winter Gritting map which is an interactive map available on donegalcoco.ie
This map is linked to the Councils social media platforms and provides information on routes and the length of routes to be gritted on any given night.
It also shows locations where sand and grit stock is available for use by the public.
However, Brendan O’Donnell, senior engineer with the roads department of Donegal County Council says even gritted roads can still be dangerous in icy weather
Sligo County Council have said they are monitoring the situation and crews will be deployed to treat the county’s main routes, but motorists and other road users are urged to take extra caution on the roads during the severe spell.
Information and advice on being “Winter Ready” in the home, on the farm, in schools and on the road can be found on sligococo.ie.
Leitrim county council also have a guide on being Winter Ready on their website leitrimcoco.ie
