Ireland braced for temperatures to drop to -8C overnight with orange warnings expected

Thousands of homes across Ireland are facing into a third day without electricity and water as the country continues to battle the arctic conditions, with temperatures set to plummet tonight. 

A Status Yellow snow and ice warning for the whole country is in place until midday today, while a separate Status Yellow warning for low temperatures and ice is in effect until midnight on Friday. 

ESB crews have resumed work to restore power to 10,000 premises, with Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary mainly affected. 

Approximately 25,000 people are without water still, with supplies to a further 30,000 at risk. 

Met Eireann is forecasting a very cold day ahead with sunny intervals, scattered wintry showers and highest temperatures of 0 to 5 degrees. Tuesday night is set to be "extremely cold" with lowest temperatures of -8 to -3 degrees with a sever frost and icy stretches. 

The forecaster has warned of hazardous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot are to be expected. 

Met Eireann forecaster Andrew Doran-Sherlock told RTÉ's Morning Ireland that it is "quite likely" that they will issue orange level warnings later today ahead of temperatures plummeting to -8 in parts tonight. 

Currently, Wednesday  is shaping up to be a bitterly cold morning with widespread frost and ice along with patches of freezing fog lingering in places through the day. Otherwise, there will be sunny periods and scattered wintry showers, mainly in the north and west.

However, it will be cloudier for a time near southern coasts with the chance of some patchy rain. Highest temperatures of -1 to +4 degrees with mostly light northerly breezes, more moderate near southern coasts.

Wednesday night will be extremely cold, mostly dry and clear overnight. However, further wintry showers are expected in the northwest with lowest temperatures of -8 to -2 degrees.