Updated at 6.14pm
CHRISTMAS MAY BE over, but that isn’t going to stop the snow.
Five (count ‘em) weather warnings have been issued for the country — with a veritable smorgasbord of rain, wind, ice, sleet, snow and heaven-knows-what-else set to hit the country over the next 24 to 36 hours.
Clare weather warning
This evening, Clare Co Council issued a weather warning, saying that Met Éireann has warned that a severe storm will affect western fringe counties, including Clare, from midday tomorrow until mid-morning on Thursday.
It warns that wind gusts of up to 130km/hr can be expected, as well as “significant” rainfall.
“While the entire county will be affected, the most extreme impacts are likely to be along the coastline. The advice is not to venture out or to drive on exposed roads while these conditions prevail,” said the Council.
Snow on the ground
The snow’s already been falling in some areas.
This was the scene in Co Donegal first thing this morning, where the white stuff was already “thick on the ground”.
The deal with these five warnings?
To put it simply, the more severe ones apply to the west of the country generally while less serious ‘yellow’ alerts apply elsewhere.
In (ascending) order of seriousness…
There’s a yellow snow-ice warning for Leinster, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford. It applies until 9am tomorrow.
What does that mean?
“Wintry showers of hail, sleet and snow today and overnight with snow accumulations of up to 4 cm in places. The highest amounts will on high ground and further west.”
There’s a yellow rainfall warning for Connacht, Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick, applying from 11pm tonight until 11pm tomorrow.
In other words…
“Heavy showers on Tuesday night will be followed by heavy rain on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The rain will start to clear early on Wednesday night. Rainfall totals of 25 to 35 mm are expected.”
There’s a yellow wind warning in place for Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary. It applies from midday tomorrow until midday on Thursday.
In short….
“Southerly winds of mean speeds of 50 to 65 km/h with gusts of 90 to 110 km/h will develop on Wednesday afternoon and will continue through the night, when they will veer west to southwest. Winds will start to ease off later on Thursday morning.”
There’s an orange wind warning in place for Wexford, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford. Again, that’s from noon tomorrow for the following 24 hours.
Again, from Met Éireann…
Southerly winds of mean speeds of 65 to 80 km/h with gusts of 110 to 130 km/h will develop on Wednesday afternoon and will continue through the night, when they will veer west to southwest. Strongest winds will be along the coast. Winds will start to ease off later on Thursday morning.
And there’s an orange snow-ice warning in effect for Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Clare, Kerry and Limerick. It was issued at 5am and applies until 9am tomorrow.
Wintry, thundery showers of hail, sleet and snow today and overnight with snow accumulations of 4 to 8 cm. The highest amounts will be on high ground in Connacht and west Ulster.
Motorists are being urged to take extra care, particularly on untreated surfaces. Problems are being reported on a number of routes around the country.
Look out for your neighbours
ALONE is urging older people to take caution during the bad weather, and is urging members of the public to check in on their neighbours.
Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said: We’re advising older people to stay warm in the cold weather by ensuring they have adequate home heating, wearing layers of light but warm clothing, eating at least one hot meal a day and staying indoors if possible.”
The damaging effects of cold weather are not always seen straight away, a variety of health problems can arise afterwards. A visit from a member of the public to check on an older person’s heating levels, food supplies and security, as well as to simply offer some human contact can make a huge difference.
If you have concerns for an older person, or are an older person in need of assistance, you can contact ALONE on 01 679 1032.
Includes reporting from Cliodhna Russell and Aoife Barry
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