Snowfall overnight as Met Éireann weather warnings remain in place
James Cox
Updated 7.30am
Met Éireann has issued a status yellow snow and ice warning for the whole country.
The status yellow warning comes into force at 3am on Thursday morning and will last until 11pm on Thursday night.
A second snow and ice warning will run until 7am on Friday for Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan.
Many parts of the country saw snowfall overnight.
Met Éireann has warned of significant accumulations of snow in Leinster along with counties Cavan and Monaghan.
The UK Met Office has also issued a snow warning for the six counties, valid from Thursday morning until Friday at 2pm.
Accumulations of snow are expected in many areas along with icy conditions. The national forecaster warned the weather will bring hazardous driving conditions, travel disruption and poor visibility.
An Garda Síochána have advised motorists to continue to exercise caution while driving in the current weather conditions "as visibility and road conditions may be poor in some areas".
A status yellow low temperature warning will be in place from 9pm on Thursday night to 10am on Friday morning.
On Wednesday, Meteorologist Gerry Murphy told RTÉ News at One that temperatures on Tuesday night dropped to -8.5 degrees Celsius in Castlederg, Co Tyrone, the lowest temperature recorded there since 2010.
Some parts of the country will experience "substantial snowfall" tomorrow morning, he warned.
Mr Murphy said it was "difficult to pin down the exact places" where snowfall will be heavier.
"Some areas will get enough snow to cause substantial disruptions."
In the UK dozens of flights have been disrupted in the south of England amid following the coldest night of the year on Tuesday.
The Met Office has said temperatures at Kinbrace in the Highlands dropped to this year’s low of minus 15.4C overnight.
At least 27 flights due to depart from the Bristol Airport on Wednesday morning have been affected by snow, while several arrivals have been diverted to Birmingham.
A spokesperson for the airport said “additional staff are on site to assist with the adverse weather response” and passengers have been advised to check with their airline prior to arriving at the airport.
The airport reopened at 10.45am but said there is “ongoing flight disruption”.
Gatwick Airport said some passengers experienced “minor delays” on Wednesday morning but “the airport is open and flights are operating”. - Additional reporting: PA