Met Eireann has extended a Status Orange warning for the second night in a row as temperatures are set to drop well below zero again.
It comes after mercury plummeted on Wednesday night, with some areas recording lows of -9C including parts of Cavan and Cork.
The national forecaster has since issued a ‘low temperature and ice warning’ for Thursday night as well, which will cover the entire country.
READ MORE: Rise in temperature this weekend won't last as Christmas 'big freeze' is on the way
It will be freezing cold with below -5C expected widely and ‘severe’ frost and ice affecting much of the country. However, the forecaster said temperatures will reach as low as -8C in some parts of the Midlands.
The Irish forecaster warned: “Extremely cold on Thursday night with temperatures below -5 degrees expected widely, leading to severe frost and ice.”
This status orange alert will remain in place from 6pm Thursday evening until 12pm on Friday for; Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Munster, Connacht.
Meanwhile, a Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning remains in place for the entire country until midday on Friday.
It will be a bitterly cold and frosty start on Thursday morning with temperatures remaining below freezing in some parts of the midlands throughout most of the day.
Weather expert Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather wrote on Twitter: “A few spots have hit -9c this morning including Kilcogy in Cavan and Millstreet in Cork. A very frosty morning with temperatures still dropping for a couple of hours.”
Afternoon temperatures will range between 0C and 3C - and a few degrees higher on coasts. It'll be mainly dry and sunny with just a few wintry showers in the north and northwest. Winds will be light northwesterly.
Patches of freezing fog may develop on Thursday night as winds fall light while temperatures head as low as -5C fairly widely, and reaching -7C or -8C in some Midland areas.
Friday may be foggy for a while in places, but it'll be mainly dry with isolated showers on coasts which will turn heavy and widespread over the west of Ireland in the afternoon.
It will still be very cold with afternoon temperatures no higher than 0C to 3C in light to moderate southwest winds.
Lowest temperatures of -3C to 2C on Friday night, there'll be lingering showers of rain and sleet in western areas otherwise it will stay dry.
It will be mainly dry and sunny then on Saturday, apart from isolated coastal showers in the south and west. Turning cloudier after nightfall. Daytime temperatures of 1C to 3C generally, and temperatures along the south coast will creep up to 4C or 8C.
On Sunday, there will be heavy rain at times which will push up across the country, as well as sleet, with snow on higher ground.
Overall it will become milder everywhere, with afternoon highs will range from 4C to 8C in the north to 10C to 13C further south.
But Met Eireann has warned that although temperatures will begin to rise over the weekend from the bitter cold we’ve been experiencing, it will be a short-lived increase.
Once Christmas week arrives, the big freeze will return once again, with the national forecaster warning: “It looks to gradually get colder throughout next week.”
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