Temperatures are set to drop to minus two degrees in some areas tonight, bringing three centimetres of snow to many parts of the country.

Met Éireann has issued two yellow weather alerts, covering different areas of Ireland. An alert covering most of the country warns of “wintery ... thundery” showers spreading eastwards across the country and “likely to give a covering of snow up to three centimetres in some places.” The thundery snow showers will continue into Tuesday.

The areas covered by this snow-ice warning includes: Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.

Anywhere that avoids the snow will still feel the effects of the freeze, however, as “icy patches will form in any locations escaping snow showers,” Met Eireann warns. “Further thundery snow showers and similar accumulations will occur during the day on Tuesday and on Tuesday night.”

A separate weather warning for Leinster, Monaghan and Waterford warns that temperatures in those areas will drop below freezing and “cause icy stretches to form overnight on any damp and untreated surface”, while “some snow flurries are likely to occur.” For these areas there is also a chance of three centimetres of snow as snow showers arrive on Tuesday and Tuesday night.

Both weather warnings are in place until eight o’clock on Wednesday morning.