Sun will give cold comfort as freeze follows blizzard

Met Éireann has extended its status yellow snow-ice warning until Sunday.

Yesterday's rain and snow have made way to clear skies and icy roads in most parts of the country.

Up to three or four inches of snow fell across the north-west on Wednesday night and conditions remain hazardous, even on treated roads.

A nationwide 'yellow' weather warning for snow and ice was updated yesterday and now remains in place until midday Sunday. According to the national forecaster, the country will be "feeling raw" for the rest of the week, with extremely cold nights and widespread frost.

"[Today] will be a bright, cold and crisp day," said Met Éireann forecaster Vincent O'Shea.

"Temperatures won't rise above 3C during the day, but at night it'll get very cold to about -6C in inland areas.

"We will have to contend with very severe frost and icy roads throughout the rest of the week and running into the weekend.

"There may be some wintry showers for north Ulster, but for the bulk of the country it will remain dry."

It will be bitterly cold tonight and tomorrow with a spell of severe frost and freezing fog. On Sunday, the weather will become drier and mildly warmer, with afternoon highs of 5C to 9C.

The Department of Education told the Irish Independent a number of schools closed this week, but that it was up to each school to decide whether they needed to close due to the severity of the weather.

"The decision to close a school is to be taken at a local level by the individual school principal or board of management in the interests of child safety, having assessed the local risks and having consulted, as appropriate, with school transport operators," said a spokesperson.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is warning all motorists to "monitor the national and local weather forecasts and traffic reports before making any journey."

The body is asking drivers to slow down, use controls delicately and leave extra distance between you and the car in front.

Meanwhile, Met Éireann has confirmed they are looking to work with the UK Met office to incorporate weather warnings, after the Irish forecaster faced criticism for not including Northern Ireland.

Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile said it was a cause of "great frustration" that the Irish office does not include Northern Ireland in its weather warnings, but does cover their forecast on the website.

The Sinn Féin senator accused Met Éireann of "amputating" the north.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing on behalf of Met Éireann said it was looking to team up with the UK Met in the future, but that the office was currently responsible for warnings in Northern Ireland.