A nationwide status-orange wind warning will be in place between 2am and 5pm on Friday.

The bitterly cold Arctic airmass that has been affecting the country for several days will start to move away, with milder conditions developing later in the weekend.

Temperatures are expected to climb from the low of minus 7 degrees recorded in the early hours of Thursday

Status yellow and orange warnings for rain, snow and ice remain in place for the majority of the country this morning

Mr Murphy said it would not be clear until the weekend whether schools would open on Monday when they can see how much snow has accumulated.

There are reports of fallen trees and debris on many roads

Met Éireann issued status orange wind warnings for counties Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow, as Storm Darragh is set to hit

The Irish meteorological service, the UK’s Met Office and the Netherlands’ KNMI have each contributed seven names to the new list.

Met Éireann said there will be heavy and persistent rain in Cork and Kerry on Wednesday