The coldest spell of the winter is expected to begin this weekend, according to Met Éireann, with snow and sleet in some places and widespread hard frosts and icy patches at night.
The weather is to turn "very cold" from tonight onwards with lows of -2 and -3 degrees, Met Éireann forecaster Vincent O'Shea said. Daytime temperatures will reach highs of 4 to 6 degrees.
Strong winds are expected from about 6pm this evening. However, they will clear by daybreak and will be considerably slacker than recent winds.
Dublin Port was closed for the first time in its history on Thursday after port officials reported wind speeds of 157km/h. Gusts of 148km/h were measured at Dublin airport, the highest at the airport since records began in 1941, leading to the cancellation of almost 70 flights.
Tomorrow will be breezy with a risk of heavy, thundery downpours.
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