Road users are being urged to exercise extreme caution this morning as heavy snowfall has hit the county.
Most of us have woken up to a fairly thick blanket of white stuff – with more snow still falling from the sky.
The Slieve Blooms and all areas of high ground have been particularly hit by the weather event.
The R440 between Mountrath in Laois and Kinnitty in Offaly is not passable near the county borders.
Met Eireann’s weather forecast predicts further snow today but does give a better picture for tomorrow.
They have also placed Laois under an Orange Warning for snow and ice until 10am on Friday.
They say: “Very cold this morning with rain, sleet and snow continuing to spread northeastwards to most parts resulting in poor visibility and hazardous road conditions.
“Sleet and snow will continue in the north of Leinster this afternoon, but it will turn mainly to rain and sleet further south.
“Afternoon highs of 1 to 3 degrees in the north, 4 to 8 degrees in the south. Northeasterly winds will freshen this afternoon and it will become rather windy for a time this evening.
“Cold and windy tonight with falls of rain, sleet and snow giving rise to very poor visibility and hazardous road conditions.
“Lows of -3 to +1 degrees in fresh to strong northerly winds, with coastal gales.
“Residual rain, sleet and snow in the east will clear into the Irish Sea early on Friday morning, giving way to a cold and mostly dry day with sunny spells.
“There is potential for some hazardous road and footpath conditions at first, but the spring sunshine will thaw any ice or lying snow away from higher ground. Highest temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees in light variable breezes.”
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