The country is about to suffer a climatic hammerblow, with blizzard and thunderstorm conditions not seen since the 1980s.
A nationwide Red Alert is now in effect, and everybody is encouraged to stay indoors and protect themselves from the potentially deadly conditions that will develop later this afternoon.
Looking ahead, the weather will remain extremely cold over the weekend, with temperatures barely rising beyond 0C most of the time.
Saturday will be the best day of the lot, relatively speaking, with some bright spells developing, and temperatures reaching 5C in southern areas.
Rain, sleet, and possibly further snowfalls will happen throughout Sunday and into Monday, leading into a cold and very un-Spring like week.