LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago
A STATUS ORANGE low temperature and ice warning remains in place this morning as the cold weather persists ahead of an expected rise in the temperature this weekend.
Met Éireann said it will remain extremely cold across most of the country this morning, with widespread severe frost, ice and patches of freezing fog.
Temperatures currently range from -7 to 7 degrees, with Ulster and north Leinster currently the worst affected areas.
The national forecaster said people should still be aware of potential dangerous travelling conditions and poor visibility, travel disruption and delays and animal welfare issues.
Lying snow, icy patches and black ice will linger into the weekend and there is a danger that roads may remain treacherous. Another hazard will be the possibility of burst pipes as temperatures suddenly rise.
The Orange weather warning for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Galway, Leitrim, Roscommon and Tipperary will remain in effect until 8am.
A Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning for the whole country is in place until midday.
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, a Yellow ice warning is in place for Antrim, Down, Tyrone and Derry until 10am.
Police in Northern Ireland have warned that freezing temperatures throughout the region this morning have caused difficult driving conditions in many areas, and urged drivers to slow down and “exercise extra caution”.
It will be very cold across most of the country this morning, with widespread frost and ice or black ice.
Superintendent Liam Geraghty says gardaí are out detecting drivers going over the speed limit.
He told RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland that even as weather conditions improve, people shouldn’t take for granted the importance of driving sensibly.
“Even though those roads may have been gritted by our colleagues in the local authorities and they may have been treated, doesn’t mean that they’re in perfect condition either in the current climate,” he said.
“As always we’d ask everyone to stay within the speed limit, but please drive to the road conditions and weather conditions.”
Met Éireann said cloud and rain in the southwest will slowly move northeast across the country throughout the day, turning to sleet or snow on high ground.
It will stay dry in Ulster and northeast Leinster however, with highest temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees.
Head of Forecasting at Met Éireann Eoin Sherlock said a temperature of -8.5 degrees was recorded at Thurles Racecourse overnight. Meanwhile, -6.5 degrees was recorded in Roscommon and 6.3 degrees was recorded in Cavan.
Met Éireann meteorologist Brandon Creagh told RTÉ’s Drivetime programme yesterday that the country can expect to see the cold snap start to ease this weekend, but people should still be careful as the thaw will be gradual.
“Saturday is when we’ll see a proper thaw across the country with the snow melting,” Creagh said, adding that melting snow could possibly freeze again tonight.
“As we head into Saturday, we get the warm front pushing up across the country, a high pressure system developing to our southeast, which is going to bring more warm air from the south as we head into the weekend.”
The ESB said less than 200 people were still without power yesterday afternoon, while Uisce Éireann said the “vast majority” of the 40,000 people whose supply was disrupted at the weekend have their water back.
Uisce Éireann has urged people to continue to report bursts and leaks in the water network to ensure its crews can carry out maintenance and repairs as needed.
It also warned that there may be further disruption to water supplies over the coming days as frozen pipes begin to thaw, potentially leading to an increase in bursts and leaks.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say