#Sneachta: Irish people take to social media to share pictures of their dogs, donkeys and gardens in the snow

March is the beginning of spring, which means blooming flowers, blue skies and… snow?

Many in the south of the country will have woken up to a winter wonderland outside their window this morning, with some schools closing and plenty of roads impassable.

Met Éireann declared a weather warning for snow and ice nationwide which is set to last until midday tomorrow morning.

As the day progresses, those in the north of the country can expect falls of sleet and snow, which will start to turn to rain in the south.

There’s also an Status Orange weather warning in place for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow, Tipperary, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Connacht, Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath.

Those counties can expect snow and icy conditions this evening until tomorrow morning.

There are between 3cm and 10cm of snow expected. And since the cold snap is set to last until the weekend, it might be best to avoid the roads, wrap up warm and let the snow fall.

Ireland is cold and rainy at the best of times, so if there’s one thing Irish people never cease to find the novelty in, it’s a snow day. Across the country, Twitter users have been sharing images of the snowy scenes outside their doors.

From dogs in snow banks to unseasonal soundtracks, here's a round-up of some highlights:

This sunny golden retriever looks pretty at ease in the spring snow bank.

But this pup doesn’t look so impressed.

This pair are giving scene-stealing donkey Jenny from The Banshees of Inisherin a run for her money, posing over the fence.

This snowy scene in Wicklow looks straight out of The Holiday – not even Cameron Diaz would look out of place running down the lane.

This serene scene in Tipperary shows a garden blanketed in snow, broken up by ambling footsteps across the green.

We might love the look of snow, but growing trees don’t enjoy the feel of it quite so much. 50 native trees are struggling in the cold, and no wonder, when they have no leaves to shield them!

Micheal Buble barely got a break after a busy Christmas season, before being pulled out again in March to celebrate the weather.

Limerick isn’t left out either, with a healthy dusting of snow this morning making it look more like a December postcard than a tweet from the start of spring.

One of the downsides of the springtime snow is that pretty though it may be, last it does not, as Tom noted.

Many, like Becky, have opted to make the most of the snow outside their door, crafting snowmen to watch over the garden.

This cat in county Clare seems a bit unsure about all this snow business.

Cillian, a rescue horse who found a happy home at the Hilltop Sanctuary looking very photogenic in the snow.

And for those of us treated to cold rain rather than a dusting of snow: