Winter's coming: Sally Gap closed as country experiences first snowfall of year
Parts of Leinster experienced snowfall overnight
Winter has finally arrived as some high ground around the country experienced snow showers last night.
Met Eireann told Independent.ie that snow fell on higher ground in various parts of the country last night.
Further showers in northern, western,& southern counties:some heavy in the south. Mainly dry & bright elsewhere. Staying cold. Highs 4 to 8C
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 10, 2016A forecaster said there was a light dusty of snow in areas over 500 feet.
"Other areas experienced sleet mixed with heavy rain," a forecaster said.
In addition, they have warned that the coming week is set to be very cold, with temperatures set to plunge for a prolonged period.
Tonight will be very cold with a sharp to severe ground frost. Ice will form on untreated surfaces, according to Met Eireann.
Temperatures will be as low as -3 degrees in some inland areas.
Yesterday evening AA Roadwatch advised the Sally Gap in Wicklow had been closed to motorists as snow was making driving conditions difficult
Rathdrum, Dunlavin, Aughrim and Stratford in Wicklow all reported the presence of the white stuff on roads and cars.
One tweeter described the snow falling in the Dublin Mountains as "pretty bad."
Meanwhile an excited tweet sent from South Co. Dublin announced "The sneachta has reached Rathfarnham."
Worryingly, a tweeter warned that "at least 4 cars have run the stop light since the snow started on the Ballyogan Road.
Pretty bad tonight up the Dublin Mountains! #Snow
@IsItSnowinInIRL pic.twitter.com/QmrkbMZsGs
— Niall Heavey (@NiallHeavey) January 10, 2016Stratford in Wicklow at the moment! pic.twitter.com/jF7aMWWsMB
— Kildare Weather (@LiveNaasWeather) January 9, 2016Dunlavin Co. Wicklow right now! pic.twitter.com/5j9VpdKONT
— Kildare Weather (@LiveNaasWeather) January 9, 2016Lots of #sneachta in Dunlavin tonight!! @Wicklow_Weather pic.twitter.com/3wSyYkWri0
— Garry Doyle (@garrydoyle) January 9, 2016@marystephens11 @AAWeatherWatch All gone this morning. But before it did.... :) pic.twitter.com/jzyfzUu77K
— Alan Stephens (@alanjstephens) January 10, 2016The #sneachta has reached Rathfarnham
@AAWeatherWatch pic.twitter.com/CdFZMmAqwu
— Alan Stephens (@alanjstephens) January 9, 2016Rathdrum Wicklow right now. @CarlowWeather pic.twitter.com/qCAMpK1geg
— Adrian Shanahan (@adrianshanahan) January 9, 2016@AAWeatherWatch outskirts of Aughrim in Wicklow. Many upland villages reporting accumulations in south of the county pic.twitter.com/QTUaOwE3ar
— ☀Wicklow Weather☀ (@Wicklow_Weather) January 9, 2016@AAWeatherWatch Ballyogan Rd Scary thing: at least 4 cars have run the stop light since the snow started. pic.twitter.com/36JPUE5mD5
— Hilary Hall (@HJGolfer87) January 9, 2016Online Editors
