Further sleet and snow expected today

Further sleet and snow is expected in north Connacht, north Leinster and the North today following last night's snow warning from Met Éireann.

The wintery showers which began at the weekend are most likely to affect the northern part of the country and counties bordering the Irish Sea today.

The unseasonably mild weather in the lead-up to Christmas broke on St Stephen's Day.

Temperatures dropped to -3 degrees in some places last night, with the west of the country recording snow falls of up to five centimetres.

Temperatures remained close to freezing throughout the night, with Met Éireann issuing snow warnings for Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal,Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Laois and Offaly.

The same counties are likely to be hit by the worst of the weather today, with daytime highs of just 4 to 7 degrees expected. North Connacht is the most "potentially risky" area for snow, said Met Éireann forecaster Mr Ger Scully.

Munster will escape the wintery showers, but is likely to have heavy rain.

Tonight will be dry, cold and frosty, giving rise to potentially hazardous driving conditions.

Tomorrow and Wednesday will be milder. Rain will move across most of the country. Wednesday will be particularly wet and windy, with a risk of flooding.

Colder weather is forecast for New Year's Day, with the possibility of more showers.