Snow is expected to fall across parts of Ireland over the weekend as forecasters issue a nationwide warning of icy conditions.

The status yellow alert - a low-level warning - kicks in from 11pm on Saturday evening and lasts until 6am on Monday.

Matthew Martin, forecaster with Met Éireann, said hail, sleet and wintry showers are predicted as the temperature is set to dip below freezing in areas.

“Hilly areas in the south and east, including Wicklow, maybe Kilkenny, should be the first to see snow overnight, and tomorrow morning it will move towards Connacht and Ulster, and particularly the north west,” he said.

“I’d say the Wicklow Mountains should get a decent covering.”

Mr Martin warned motorists countrywide to expect “hazardous driving conditions” with forecast snowfalls not just restricted to higher areas.

“It will be similar to last weekend — some areas will see snow, other areas will see rain.”

The mercury will plunge to as low as minus 1 degrees on Saturday night, while Sunday is expected to be “quite windy, blustery, cold and rather unpleasant.”

With lots of cloud cover, daytime temperatures on Sunday should be milder than overnight, but could still be as cool a 4 degrees in parts.

The “not unusual, but colder than average” weather is a result of a low front moving in from the south, and exiting towards Britain, leaving a cold, westerly air flow.

Mr Martin said the unsettled weather will continue into Tuesday and Wednesday,when it will be windy and cold with widespread showers too.

Early indications are that St Patrick’s weekend will also be cool and showery.

Is there a risk of rain on St Patrick’s Day parades? “There might be,” he says.