Snow much fun: wintery flurry takes Déise by storm 

The festive season was brought to a picturesque conclusion as a blanket of snow fell over the Déise, elevating the outstanding natural beauty of the area.

The first Waterford weather warning of the year came last week, warning that weather conditions could drop below freezing. After the first low-temperature warning, an inundation of warnings swiftly followed with a series of sporting fixtures across Waterford being postponed ahead of the snow and ice weather warning.

Excitement began to spread among children in Waterford last week as news broke that a leading Met Eireann meteorologist warned that schools might close due to the snow.

"There are likely to be accumulations of snow in places on Monday morning, coupled with a very severe frost as well. So there is the possibility that schools may not open," Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy said. The festive spirits ensured that his comments would come true.

Over the weekend, an orange weather warning was issued for the county, cautioning that an area of low pressure was sending up some heavy rain, sleet and snow and the Council's SWAT team was activated! The Severe Weather Assessment Team (SWAT) began monitoring weather conditions locally.

On Sunday, the announcement came that all secondary schools would close in Waterford, with many primary schools around the Déise following suit. Bus and transport services in the city centre began to operate at a reduced level amidst the snow, with Bus Eireann cancelling their Waterford City Services due to the icy road conditions on Sunday evening.

All apprenticeship classes at South East Technological University were then cancelled on Monday due to the weather conditions. 

"Classes will resume as normal on Tuesday, 7 January."

Temperatures were low in places, but the cold snap heated up in Tramore on Sunday when a power line went on fire, sparking concern when a video was posted online.

With the flurry of snowfall on Monday morning came another flurry of weather warnings. Met Éireann issued a status yellow snow-ice warning until 12pm. The warning came as further "wintry showers" were expected to touch ground in Waterford bringing further accumulations of snow.

Met Eireann also issued a status yellow caution due to low temperatures and the likely presence of ice in Waterford, which runs until this Friday, January 10. 

The warning cautions that widespread frost, ice and lying snow are likely this week and that temperatures will be "struggling to get above freezing during the day".

The weather is likely to cause hazardous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot, as well as disruption to travel, Met Éireann has warned.

Thanks to all our readers who sent in their snowy photos from across the Déise!