Powerful winds of up to 130 km/h are forecast for the next 24 hours with warnings that they may be accompanied by wintry showers in Connacht and Donegal.

Met Éireann has issued three weather warnings and warned of southwesterly winds of 65 to 80km/h and gusts of over 110 km/h for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick, where an orange weather warning is in place, the second highest of the three alert categories.

In exposed coastal and hilly areas the gusts may reach 130 km/h.

A yellow, less severe wind warning is in place for Leinster, counties Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Waterford.

Road users are being advised to be extra cautious this morning due to the conditions.

Snow in Dublin snow is falling on the outskirts of the city. #dublin pic.twitter.com/gYb8Dgfp4P — The Fruit People (@TheFruitPeople) February 23, 2015

A snow and ice warning is in place for Donegal where wintry showers of hail, sleet and snow are forecast.

Snow and sleet were falling this morning in Dublin.

The forecaster has also warned of the potential for coastal flooding due to high seas and some high tides, especially along the Atlantic coast.

According to Met Éireann snow of up to 3cms are likely, with deeper snow possible on higher ground.

The ESB report outages due to thunderstorms in Askeaton, Co Limerick, in the Creggs, Fuerty and Mount Prospect areas in Co Roscommon, the Whitechurch and Castletownbere areas of Co Cork, and the Dalton, Balla and Claremorris areas of Co Mayo.

An Garda Síochána report that roads are particularly dangerous around Thurles, Co Tipperary, due to sleet.

Lowest temperatures are estimated to be between 0 and 3 degrees celcius.