Cold and frosty conditions are to continue over the weekend as a nationwide yellow rainfall and wind warning is in place from Friday.

The weather is expected to become wet and windy on Friday night as Storm Bert brings spells of strong winds and heavy rain over the weekend.

It comes as dangerous driving conditions were reported across parts south and west Ireland as heavy snow fell overnight on Wednesday.

An orange warning for snow and ice was in place for counties Clare, Limerick, Galway and Tipperary from midnight to noon on Thursday, as significant snow hit parts of the country.

An orange warning for snow and rain for counties Cork and Waterford was in place until noon on Thursday, as heavy rain caused treacherous conditions on the roads.

A status yellow warning for low temperatures and ice remains in place across the country until midday on Friday.

Met Eireann issued a warning for very cold and widespread frost, with icy stretches and lying snow persisting on Thursday and Friday.

There are warnings of hazardous conditions on roads and paths, with some travel disruption.

Met Eireann said Storm Bert is a low pressure system currently forming in the Atlantic, forecasted to bring heavy rain and strong winds to Ireland over the weekend.

The meteorological service said it will be issuing more warnings over the weekend as further details of the storm become available.

Reports of dangerous driving conditions following heavy snowfall were made across parts of Ireland, particularly in the west of the country.

Meanwhile, drivers in Northern Ireland also battled with dangerous conditions as a yellow weather for ice and snow was in place until 10am on Thursday.

Temperatures fell below zero overnight in parts of the region.

Showers are expected to fall as snow over hills, with icy patches elsewhere.

The status yellow warning is for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry, and will be in place from 3pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday.