Live BlogALL OF IRELAND was on red alert today, as the Beast from the East and Storm Emma ripped through the country.
From now until 6pm tomorrow the government has advised that everyone who possibly can needs to take shelter until the worst has passed.
The big news of the evening was that Met Éireann’s Evelyn Cusack had predicted up to a metre of snowfall in eastern areas in the next 24 hours. Yes, a METRE.
Here are a few other things you need to know:
Ok everyone, that’s going to do it for this evening’s liveblog.
We hope you’re all safe and warm. Don’t go doing anything silly this evening in the storm conditions, it’s not worth it.
The NECC are still hard at work:
We’ll be with you again first thing in the morning with all the latest.
Night.
A final set of photographic brilliance from today, this time from Midleton in Cork.
The calm before the storm.
All pics – Jane Fleming
The blizzard is absolutely raging outside here on the northside of Dublin at present. How is it treating you? We hope you’re all safe and warm.
The Defence Forces have been busy this evening.
Their Baldonnel staff have moved 40 staff from Peamount Hospital to Finnstown Hotel for the night, staff who will be badly needed in work tomorrow.
“Special thanks to Steve and all the team who helped us,” says Suzanne Corcoran of Peamount.
Well done those men:
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has just been on RTÉ’s Prime Time.
The news is that there’s no new news. The minister says that the current weather curfews are being ‘reviewed constantly’ and that’s about it.
Greyhound racing folk must be made of strong stuff – the Irish Greyhound Board has only just now announced that Saturday’s racing is off. Its statement:
“The Irish Greyhound Board wishes to advise that, having assessed the conditions at all tracks and taken account of the latest weather advisories, greyhound racing will not proceed on Saturday 3 March 2018.
This decision has been taken in the interests of greyhound welfare and the practical difficulties that will be experienced by owners, breeders, trainers and patrons in safely accessing greyhound stadia from all parts of the country.
The following are the proposed alternative arrangements:
Shelbourne Park, Dublin:
Semis final of Ladbrokes Easter Cup is rescheduled to Tuesday 6th March. Final will go ahead on Saturday 10th March at Shelbourne Park.
Curraheen Park, Cork:
The Greyhound & Petworld Supersprint is rescheduled to Saturday 10th March
Kilcohan Park, Waterford:
The Yahoo Kennels Marathon is rescheduled to Saturday 10th March.
Limerick:
Race card rescheduled to Saturday 10th March
Mullingar:
Race card rescheduled to Saturday 10th March. Decision regarding Sunday’s meeting (SIS) will be made.
Tralee:
Race card rescheduled to Saturday 10th March.
Galway:
Race card rescheduled to Saturday 10th March.
The IGB has also been advised of the following:
Thurles:
Race card rescheduled to Saturday 10th March.
The Sales event at Thurles planned for 6th March has been rescheduled to Saturday 10th March ( trials at 9 a.m. with auction commencing at 11 a.m.)
Lifford:
Race card rescheduled for Saturday 10th March.
Dundalk
Race card rescheduled to Saturday 10th March.
Anyone?
Attack of the giant snowmen, Kildare style.
An 11 foot snowman was constructed in Naas this afternoon. The last picture was taken in the same spot 21 years ago.
Impressive…
All pics courtesy Elizabeth Anne
The latest from Dublin Airport. Looking seriously stormy now…
Very handy travel guide (or non-travel guide) here…
The latest chart from Met Éireann…
The volunteers at My Lovely Horse Rescue have been busy amid the severe snowy weather.
The equine welfare group responds to reports of stray and neglected horses, donkeys and ponies across Dublin and further afield.
It also runs a farm in Co Kildare, where injured and neglected animals are nursed back to health.
Dublin city centre is basically deserted… apart from one individual spotted by TV3′s Gavan Reilly who looks perfectly at home.
For many of us, the storm is a diversion, and a pathway to some pleasantly unexpected days off.
Others among us are working very, very hard at present:
Glasnevin, north Dublin, currently looks like a scene from one of those movies or tv shows where there’s been an apocalypse and there are next to no survivors.
You know the sort. Will Smith is always making them:
Not a soul to be seen…
Could this 12ft tall snowman be the biggest snowman in Ireland? You know where to send your entries folks.
This big fella was constructed earlier today in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin.
Hi everyone, Cianan Brennan back on liveblog duties again for a bit. Things are looking distinctly wintry outside my window as I type… Blustery and blizzardy to beat the band…
There are power outages already in some pockets of the country – keep up to date on where they are on the ESB’s Powercheck. We’re also monitoring the power outs as they happen in this piece here:
Dublin Fire Brigade are among the emergency crews that could be out on our roads tonight, and helped clear dangerous cables that had fallen on the Lusk Road.
Residents on made them tea afterwards for their work <3
We’re just under four hours into the Status Red weather alert brought on by Storm Emma, and already the price of a sliced pan has sky-rocketed.
You never know, €1,299 might be reasonable by tomorrow morning.
Just stunning.
The ‘Perpetual Motion’ sculpture at the Naas roundabout.
A cautionary tale.
Not that you should be out on the roads, but when the Status Red weather warning eventually lifts (latest time on this is 6pm), make sure to take care in the snow.
Met Éireann have just given an update for tomorrow’s weather warning:
Status Red Snow-ice Warning for Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal
Sub-zero temperatures and icy conditions continuing tonight in strong easterly winds with heavy snow showers and high accumulations in some areas.
Issued: Thursday 01 March 2018 7.01pm
Valid: Thursday 01 March 2018 7pm to Friday 02 March 2018 6am
Status Red Snow-ice Warning for Munster and Leinster
Blizzard conditions tonight and during Friday in Leinster and Munster. Southern and eastern coastal counties expected to receive exceptionally high accumulations.
Issued: Thursday 01 March 2018 6.59pm
Valid: Thursday 01 March 2018 7pm to Friday 02 March 2018 6pm
Sarah Kate McWilliams was up the Sally Gap in the Wicklow Mountains earlier today. Not to be recommended, but still, at least the vehicle looks fit for purpose.
The bike of the cyclist they met up there, not so much.
Hold on to your hats folks, particularly those in the east of the country. Met Éireann’s Evelyn Cusack has just said that up to a metre of snow could fall in eastern areas of the country over the next 24 hours.
One METRE.
Read the full story here.
Bit of a late one to the table this, but hairdressers Peter Mark have just announced that their various outlets will be shut tomorrow (this is the kind of thing to give brides-to-be heart failure isn’t it):
“In the interests of the safety of our clients and our teams, all Peter Mark salons will be closed tomorrow 2 March due to the adverse weather conditions,” the company says.
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide a further update on whether our salons will open on Saturday 3 March . We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Further updates will be posted to our Facebook page.
Aaaannd wedding post number two.
Now, for those of you due to get married this weekend, who are no doubt understandably fearful that Emma and the Beast are going to cause ructions, Áine Maher has a heartening story for you:
“Our wedding day 18 December 2010, the most memorable magical day of our lives,” she begins.
“It was one of the biggest snow blizzards in 100 years. We where completely snowed in and it was the most frightening time as we thought our day wasn’t going to happen. Yes I had to do my own tan & nails as everything was cancelled”.
My husband is from Co Clare so all his family – parents, sisters, grandparents and family circle had to travel in one of the worst blizzards imaginable. Our groomsmen and bridesmaids had to travel to Belfast. We had friends travelling from all over the country and the world.
Yes we lost some along the way but we kept a positive attitude towards our big day so it could happen. My dad worked long and hard to that end, out digging the snow for three long days. We all came together and made it happen. It was amazing – in the end our photos turned out like a winter wonderland. So magical.
“Our wedding reception was held at Slieve Donard in Co Down – another big drive from Belfast.”
“I just want other couples to know that it’ll happen so long as you make your special day about each other the rest will fall into place, weather and all. Everyone will help you along the way. We had no worries in the end – our family and friends were amazing. I will keep the mishaps of the day out of this!”
It all went perfectly – or at least that’s what our families said until it all came out after wedding!
Best family ever.
A couple of nuptial-related posts for you now.
Firstly, Shelly Stokes of Castle Durrow in Co Laois writes to say:
“We are in Laois and have plenty of snow.”
The storm hasn’t reached us yet but we are prepared for it! We have two weddings this weekend, on Friday and Saturday, and have gotten ready and prepped.
My poor brides are of course nervous that their guests may not be able to make it, but we are sure that whoever will be here shall have a fab time!
“One thing is for sure, the wedding pictures will be incredible!”
We’d struggle to argue with that sentiment Shelly, judging by your photos.
Cork County Council have released their latest storm update:
“Cork County Councils 24 hour emergency line on 021 4800048 remains in operation. However due to severe weather conditions & resulting large volume of calls it may take some time to get through to an operator. Cork County Council would ask callers to remain on the line or try again to have their call answered.
All Council offices and amenities, including libraries, will remain closed Thursday 1 March and Friday 2 March.
Roads have been continuously treated overnight and this morning in accordance with the Council’s Winter Service Plan. 26 vehicles were in use and 400 tonnes of salt was applied in the last 24 hours. There are no road treatments currently taking place by Cork County Council road crews due to the extreme conditions. Road clearance and treatment operations will resume tomorrow Friday as soon as it safe to do so.
If travel is absolutely necessary, all road users are asked to exercise extreme caution on roads and to never assume that a route has been treated. Similarly pedestrians are asked to take extra care using footpaths.
Due to high tides and possible early thaw there is a significant risk of flooding in the low lying areas of Bantry, Clonakilty, Midleton and Youghal on tomorrow Friday March 2nd in the morning (approximately 6am), the evening (approximately 6pm) and Saturday morning (approximately 6am).
Customers experiencing water outages should contact Irish Water on 1850278278 or consult the Irish Water website for the most up to date information.
The Council’s Housing Department will respond to the impact that the severe weather may have on any person sleeping rough in the county. Cork County Council has also put a 24 hour maintenance policy into effect for council tenants. If a Council tenant experiences any difficulty they are advised to contact 021 4800048.
Updates will be provided on Cork County Council’s social media channels and website.”
This amazing shot of Dun Laoghaire’s Forty Foot from earlier today was sent in by Eoin Flood. Beautiful and terrifying in one go.
Remember guys, if you’ve any photos or videos from today, a story to tell or something you feel people should know, just drop me a line on cianan@thejournal.ie, or on Twitter @ciananbrennan
We have an updated statement in from the HSE:
“The HSE would stress that at a local and national level our services are being impacted due to the severity of the weather conditions. For this reason the HSE is asking members of the public to consider the following:
Lori Marie Fox has been in touch to remind us to not forget our feathered friends in the cold weather.
She’s been leading by example and has created a scenario akin to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds in her back garden.
One at a time lads, there’s plenty for all.
Sean O’Neill of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has been talking to us. Sean grew up in Boston. He is familiar with blizzards. He does not recommend driving in them (having done so myself recently in Co Tipperary I can confirm that doing so is not fun).
“What happens sometimes is people have big 4x4s and think they are all that and a bag of chips,” Sean says.
“It’s a bit like an airplane when you don’t know where the horizon is, there’s a whiteout and you can’t see properly. So you have 4x4s driving off bridges and motorways and that’s a danger then for others who come to rescue them.”
Anyone who thinks they have a great vehicle, no matter how experienced a driver you are, even in a tank if you can’t see in front of you, you can go right off a road and you’re putting rescue people at risk, their lives.
With a snowstorm afoot, the goal naturally is to stay as warm as possible.
Niall O’Reilly, and companion, from the French Dining School have taken that idea to the nth degree in Co Wicklow, ahead of (hopefully) catching their ferry back to France tomorrow night.
We’re into the serious business of Storm Emma now, with hopefully everybody possible safe under a roof as the blizzard gets set to ramp up.
But we’ll start on a lighter note – Harry the dog having a whale of a time earlier in Castleknock:
Hello everyone, as Sean mentioned Cianan Brennan here to keep you company on the liveblog for the next while.
I can confirm that I have not benefited in any way from the recent bread apocalypse, but that I wish I had.
Thanks for joining me, but I’m about to hand you over to my esteemed colleague Cianan Brennan.
He assures me that he has not financially gained in any way from the recent bread splurge.
Hope you all stay safe, and be sure to keep sending in your snowy pictures to pictures@thejournal.ie.
We’ve just got an updated statement in from Irish Rail.
It reconfirms that there’ll be no services tomorrow, and says that a decision on Saturday’s service will be made tomorrow.
It said: “The company thanks its employees across Infrastructure and Train Operations divisions who have ensured services continued to operate in extremely difficult conditions over the past 48 hours, in particular those employees who have worked in all weathers to clear lines and points of snow.
Their efforts have been immense, and we are grateful to customers for their messages of thanks to them, and for the patience from customers as services were unavoidably delayed due to weather conditions.
Dublin Fire Brigade acted swiftly to get a house fire under control in Terenure, south Dublin, in the past hour.
The Taoiseach has been busy this afternoon. Here he is popping into Holles Street to speak to staff.
My colleague Nicky Ryan has made this timelapse video of the Beast from the East sweeping over Dublin yesterday that’s well worth a watch.
Okay, it’s Brennan’s sliced pan (shocker).
That was followed by 2 litre milk, 6 pack eggs, firelighters, and wine.
This wholesaler distributes to Spar, Eurospar, Londis, Mace and XL branches around the country.
BWG is an Irish food wholesaler, and they’ve just sent out a statement on what the top sellers have been in the pre-Storm Emma surge.
Should we even bother telling you what the top one was?
You know already, sure…
We hope Leo Varadkar took this before 4pm, but he tweeted it two minutes ago.
We’ve just received an update from the Defence Forces.
Here’s what they said: “[We] have deployed 250 Army personnel and 85 vehicles in a range of tasks to support the local authorities in the past 36 hours with 130 personnel deployed today alone.
There are also an additional 250 Defence Forces personnel in support of our deployed personnel working in our barracks around the country today.
The majority of taskings are in support of the HSE ensuring that key staff can get to hospitals and to house bound patients. We have supported Temple St Children’s Hospital in Dublin getting key staff to work as well as hospitals in Louth, Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Kildare.
It said that, since 4pm, all non-essential work has stopped with its members available to respond to matters of life and death in the coming hours.
Here’s the Beast hitting Howth Pier at full force (credit: @FreetoursHowth).
The full force of Beast from the East at high tide on Howth's East Pier @BloodyStreamHow @LovinDublin @thejournal_ie @VisitDublin @PhotosOfDublin @Freetourshowth @LoveFingalDub @98FM @howthismagic #BeastFromTheEast ireland #Howth #storm #dublin pic.twitter.com/EysD4zzWy8
— Walking Tours Howth (@Freetourshowth) March 1, 2018
Speaking on RTÉ, Paschal Sheehy just described the temperature in Cork as “bitingly cold”. We hear you.
Here’s what Cork City Council is saying: “With the approach of high tides, road closures have been put in place at the following locations:
“The Council is again advising the public to avoid unnecessary travel and to heed the warnings to remain indoors for the duration of the severe weather. The City Council will provide regular updates as the situation develops further.”
Some councils are providing updates on the current situation.
Here’s Dublin City Council’s:
“The City’s Winter Maintenance Plan continues to be implemented and road gritting crews will work, using snow ploughs and gritters, if conditions allow, to clear the roads of snow and salt the street network covering the national, regional and commuter routes.
Essential staff will also be working over the period in the area of housing and homeless services; emergency services including Dublin Fire Brigade and Ambulance Service and all roads and environmental operational services. See www.dublincitycouncil.ie for updates.
Dublin Airport may be closed but here’s some good news from Daa: “If your flight is cancelled due to weather we won’t charge you for parking. If you’re stuck overseas we won’t charge you for the extra time.”
(Not a bad picture of Dublin Airport, either.)
Before the snow really started to bite, these intrepid lads from Dublin 5 got inventive.
Here’s Caleb and Tyler Nolan and their igloo.
Arnotts has followed suit from Brown Thomas, just sending in a statement to confirm that it will not be open tomorrow.
Given the thousands currently without power, this checklist from Dublin Fire Brigade is worth having a look at around your home.
Given the warning in place till 3pm tomorrow, it is perhaps no surprise that Brown Thomas has just confirmed it has decided to close all its stores until Saturday at the earliest.
Update: There are a few more power outages around the country.
Over 1,500 people are without power in the Sallins/Clane area of Kildare.
And there’s a similar number without power in Donabate in Dublin.
Bus Éireann has said it will not operate ANY services in Leinster or Munster tomorrow, nor will its Expressway intercity services operate anywhere.
However, given the reduced levels of warning in Connacht and parts of the west and north-west, it “may be able to operate some services in less affected areas tomorrow”.
It added:
We will review this situation in the morning and provide further information around midday with a view to a possible resumption of some services in the late afternoon or evening. We will provide a further update in relation to the operation of scheduled services from Saturday morning.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued an advisory for farmers in these conditions.
It said: “It is essential that farm safety is prioritised above all else.
In the case of sheep flocks it is essential that they are brought to a sheltered area in advance of the worst of this event. Where farmers are tending animals, they should ensure they carry a fully charged mobile phone and let people know where they are- checking in regularly.
“If tending animals in remote locations, a second person should accompany them. Take care around the farmyard ensuring concrete areas are gritted or salted. Falls are the biggest threat and take care to avoid.
Do not attempt to remove snow from roofs of farm buildings. To avoid damage to pumps, milking equipment etc, drain thoroughly. Water for livestock remains a significant problem on farms with pipes and ball-cocks for supply freezing, but continued access to water is important at this time when cows are calving and sheep lambing.
Here’s another fantastic photo, taken by John Fahy at Bulloch Harbour in Dalkey today at around midday.
Speaking of Cork, the city council is also warning that some flooding is expected in low-lying areas in about an hour’s time.
Knock Airport has joined Dublin, Shannon and Cork in closing tomorrow.
In a statement, it has said it will reopen at 7am on Saturday morning, “weather permitting”.
Cork City Council is staying on brand with its suggestion for what people staying indoors should do this evening.
In a statement in the last few minutes, the ISPCC has said that it has opted “with regret” that Childline will close from now until it is safe to re-open.
It said: “The ISPCC has advised that any child or young person in danger, or in need of immediate help, in Ireland tonight should contact the emergency services at 999 or 112.”
Are you inside?
“Please heed the warning,” is the message from Dublin Fire Brigade.
And that’s it – 4pm.
From now until 3pm tomorrow, everyone in the country is urged to remain indoors.
Perhaps quite ominously, the snow has gotten considerably heavier here in Dublin in the past few minutes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, all national parks and nature reserves in the country are now closed until further notice.
The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht said: “Snow may mask normal trail markers and routes leading to more dangerous walking conditions with ice increasing the likelihood of slips, trips and falls.”
It’s now five minutes to midnight (well 4pm really but you know what we mean).
Here’s Minister Eoghan Murphy reiterating the advice to stay inside from that time onwards.
We’re asking people across the country to be home by 4pm. pic.twitter.com/YpR1mXfzV1
— Eoghan Murphy (@MurphyEoghan) March 1, 2018
Newstalk’s Jess Kelly wasn’t sure whether or not she’d get back from a flight from Barcelona.
Here’s what it looked like as her plane arrived back in Dublin.
This is what flying into a very snowy Dublin looked like... @NewstalkFM pic.twitter.com/EatNUWcTfq
— Jess Kelly 👩🏻💻 (@jesskellynt) March 1, 2018
It’s not just Ireland getting hit by this stormy weather.
The polar vortex has already struck hard in Europe, leaving more than 50 people dead – 21 of them are in Poland.
It’s nearly 20 minutes to 4 now, when people across the country are being urged to be indoors.
It’s been lashing snow here in Dublin for the past hour now but, even if it’s not snowing where you are right now, the red warning for the entire country means that people all over should stay in this evening.
We’ve got sent this by Andy Cross in Ballyteague, Co Kildare, who’s having trouble finding his car.
O’Neill, who grew up in Boston, says that the conditions are a “terrible recipe” for driving on the roads.
He says that visibility will be unacceptably low.
“I don’t care if you drive a 4×4 or a tank,” he said. “No visibility is no visibility.
You could drive off the road. Please, it may seem like a short journey, but it could change your life or other people’s lives… Hunker down, be safe, and relax… Chill out, no pun intended.
Sean O’Neill from Transport Infrastructure Ireland is on the Ray D’Arcy Show now.
He’s urging people to stay indoors for the next 24-48 hours. Every effort will be made to keep the motorways open, he says.
“I know they’ve been hearing it ad nauseum, but please stay off the roads… this powdery snow gets in the air and reduces visibility. You may think you’re on the road but you could not be and hit a barrier.”
Some good advice from Dublin Fire Brigade here, with so many cars set to be parked up for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
People have gone to great, great lengths for bread this week.
Speaking of supermarkets, branches of Tesco, Dunnes and Lidl have all confirmed they are closed until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.
Here’s some more great pics, these ones from Tramore, Co Waterford, this morning.
Following on from the update on Cork and Dublin airports, Shannon has just confirmed that it will close from 6pm this evening, and re-open on Saturday morning.
The snow that’s on its way could be “record breaking” according to RTÉ weather presenter Karina Buckley.
Speaking on Liveline in the past few minutes, she said that the previous record snowfall was 49cm in the 1960s.
It could reach 50cm tomorrow.
Cork Airport and Dublin Airport are both closed now, with flights not due to resume until Saturday morning.
This piece from my colleague Órla Ryan explains what your rights are if your flight has been cancelled.
This is quite handy, if you need to use any of these routes soon.
Wexford County Council has an online function where you can check the route of its snow ploughs.
Here’s another breathtaking photo sent in, this one by Paul Antcliff in Tomacork, Carnew, Co Wicklow looking out towards Mount Leinster.
There are a few power outages around the country already as Storm Emma meets the Beast from the East.
Over 500 customers are without power in Dublin’s Harold’s Cross.
There are further outages in Navan, Kinsale and Glenties.
You can check all power outages, and the estimated time they’ll be fixed, here.
If this doesn’t demonstrate the extent to which everything really has shut down, I don’t know what will: Dublin’s popular Coppers nightclub shut.
We’re really getting some fantastic pictures sent into us from readers around the country so thanks for that!
Here are a few of the most recent we’ve had in.
(You can send your own in to pictures@thejournal.ie)
It’s still just under an hour and a half before the warning to stay indoors kicks in, and people are using this time as their last chance for a bit of fresh air until tomorrow.
Or you could use this time to walk your ferret, as this woman did yesterday.
The advice from all official channels really is to stay indoors from 4pm this afternoon.
Here’s a couple of gardaí visiting an elderly resident in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow a short time ago.
It’s a fantastic picture but I think we preferred their heartwarming tweet on the same topic yesterday:
Inside but fancy seeing what it’s like in other parts of the country?
Carroll’s Irish Gifts would usually be full of tourists today, but as their live feed of Dublin’s O’Connell Street shows, there’s very few people out and about.
It’s even quieter down at this livestream set up at Duncannon Beach in Co Wexford, with a blanket of snow covering the ground.
There’s no public transport on the roads until Saturday at the earliest.
Decisions will be made later on if services will be run on Irish Rail and Bus Éireann, while Dublin Bus has said it does expect services to run on Saturday.
Seán Murray here, and I’ll be keeping you updated this afternoon.
Here’s what Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had to say earlier as he addressed the nation on the severe weather it’s facing.
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