Severe ice and frost is due to develop across much of the country once again on Thursday night, though the recent cold snap is forecast to ease on Friday.
Met Éireann has issued a status orange ice and low temperature warning for 15 counties from 7pm tonight until 8am on Friday. A yellow ice warning is in place for the whole country until noon on Friday.
Lying snow, icy patches and black ice will linger into the weekend and there is a danger that roads may remain treacherous. Another hazard will be the possibility of burst pipes as temperatures suddenly rise.
There will also be patches of freezing fog particularly in the north of the country.
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Milder weather will arrive in the southwest from early morning bringing a rise in temperatures from near zero in most places to between 6 and 10 degrees in Munster.
The mild weather may not appear in northerly areas until Saturday with snow there remaining especially on higher ground.
Sunday will see temperatures go from well below to well above normal with averages of between 10 and 11 degrees across the country.
This is in marked contrast to the coldest temperature recorded in Ireland over the recent spell which was -8.2 degrees in Granard, Co Longford overnight on Wednesday.
The national director for Fire and Emergency Management Keith Leonard forecast that the recent severe weather situation should be over within “the next 24 to 48 hours”.
The priority is returning services to areas without power and water “but there is light at the end of the tunnel with conditions improving tomorrow”, he said.
Power issues should be resolved in the next 24 hours, however, water may take longer, he added.
“By the weekend we would hope to have normal operations across all categories.”
Uisce Éireann said the “vast majority” of the 40,000 people whose supply was disrupted after last weekend’s snow now have their water back though parts of Brosna, Knocknagoshel and Castleisland in north Kerry remained without water on Thursday night.
Its head of water operations Margaret Attridge said its crews remain ready if there is an increase in leaks and bursts on the network as a result of the thaw.
The national emergency team will meet on Friday, but it is expected to be the last meeting of the current spell.
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