Live BlogLAST UPDATE | 9 Mar 2023
IT’S A VERY cold one out there tonight.
A Status Orange weather warning for snow and ice is in place for 13 counties until midnight, with a second Orange warning then taking effect in Leinster from midnight until the morning.
Road users are being asked to take extra care due to the hazardous weather conditions after the country saw bitter, sub-zero temperatures overnight.
This cold snap is expected to last until the end of the week, with temperatures set to drop to between zero and minus four degrees tonight.
Met Éireann has cautioned of hazardous driving conditions, travel disruption and poor visibility due to the weather.
You can catch up on today’s developments as they happened below.
That’s all from us this evening.
You can keep up to date with the latest forecast throughout the night on Met Éireann’s website.
Stay safe!
Weather warning reminder
A Status Orange warning for snow and ice is in place until midnight for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and all of Connacht.
Another Status Orange warning for snow and ice then kicks in at midnight for Leinster. This will remain in place until 10am tomorrow.
A Status Yellow warning for snow and ice is in place nationwide until midday tomorrow.
In Northern Ireland, an Amber snow and ice warning is in place until 4am for Antrim, Armagh and Down.
Strong winds will ease overnight & rain, sleet and snow will clear, followed by frosty, icy conditions. 🌧️🌨️🌬️
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) March 9, 2023
📷Trees down in Portmarnock this evening. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/pf6piy6VRt
Over 8,000 homes and business across the country are without power now, according to the ESB’s PowerCheck website.
Gardaí have said they are reminding any road users to “please take care and exercise caution if travelling on our roads this evening, overnight or in the morning as there is very poor visibility and hazardous road conditions”.
An Garda Síochána are reminding any road users to please take extra care and exercise caution if travelling on our roads this evening, overnight or in the morning as there is very poor visibility and hazardous road conditions. #StaySafe https://t.co/udib1SpF1J
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) March 9, 2023
Any remaining rain, sleet & snow in the east will quickly clear into the Irish Sea early Friday morning🌨️🌧️
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) March 9, 2023
Friday will be a cold & generally dry day with sunny spells. ⛅️
Cloudier in the southwest with the chance of an isolated shower. ☁️
Highs of 4 to 7 C🥶 pic.twitter.com/c09XkcIzZb
Over 5,000 homes and business across the country are without power this evening, according to the ESB’s PowerCheck website.
There’s a large outage affecting over 1,700 customers in Baltrasna, Co Meath.
Another 1,385 customers are without power in Bailieborough, Co Cavan.
Dublin City Council crews are to grit 300kn of the city’s main roads tonight.
In response to Met Éireann's Status Orange weather warning for snow and ice tonight, Dublin City Council crews will be gritting 300km of the City's main roads tonight. Road users are advised to exercise caution.https://t.co/ohCo52bnfEhttps://t.co/e8p5ZZdsEb pic.twitter.com/UAsMHwJd3O
— Dublin City Council (@DubCityCouncil) March 9, 2023
The UK’s Met Office has warned of “atrocious travel conditions” in parts of Northern Ireland.
Rain, sleet and snow has been steadily moving north during today. But as we head into the evening the risk of snow increases with atrocious travel conditions expected particularly for parts of Northern Ireland, Wales and Northern England. 🚗 #stayweatheraware pic.twitter.com/VNfX4mlEBB
— Met Office (@metoffice) March 9, 2023
An update from Limerick City and County Council:
2/2 The freezing temperatures follow falls of snow, sleet and rain and are could result in hazardous driving conditions, particularly on higher ground and in areas of West Limerick.
— Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) March 9, 2023
Between 3 and 4 inches of snow fell in some areas of West Limerick overnight last night.
Wexford County Council has said its road crews will be gritting as per its winter maintenance plan, but added “unfortunately, it is not feasible to treat all roads/footpaths”.
Plan but unfortunately it is not feasible to treat all roads/footpaths across County Wexford.
— Wexford County Council (@wexfordcoco) March 9, 2023
🌨For electrical outages, the ESB 24 hour emergency line is 1800 372 999.
🌨Please keep a check on elderly/vulnerable neighbours and family.
🌨For any emergencies, please phone 999.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Six One News, meteorologist Gerry Murphy said visibility and traffic conditions will be “very poor” tonight.
“We will see lying snow or ice in virtually all of the country with a very sharp or severe frost as well,” Murphy said.
“On untreated roads, certainly, there will be icy conditions. Even as it gradually melts tomorrow, it will lead to slushy conditions, perhaps during the day, and then more frost forming tomorrow night,” he said.
Murphy said the weather is normal enough for this time of year.
“This is a cold blast with some snow, which happens on many winters. It’s not going to last that long, it’s not as extreme as perhaps other snowfall events, but it’s typical enough for early spring or through the winter,” he said.
During the evening, outbreaks of sleet & snow will become more widespread 🌨️
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) March 9, 2023
Cold & windy at first tonight with falls of sleet & snow in many areas giving rise to very poor visibility & hazardous road conditions.
🌡️Lows of -4 to 0°C, coldest in the westhttps://t.co/9gKN6SVok4 pic.twitter.com/3n4ZM1xt4J
The National Emergency Coordination Group chair Keith Leonard has told RTÉ News there is “definitely a question mark over schools opening” tomorrow.
However, he added: “But it’ll be hard to know exactly which schools will be affected, so principals will make that decision tomorrow based on the local conditions.”
The National Emergency Coordination Group chair Keith Leonard has said there's definitely a question mark over whether schools everywhere will open tomorrow so principals will decide tomorrow based on local weather conditions...#sneachta #snow ❄️🌨️ pic.twitter.com/svERBRY8sf
— Joan O'Sullivan (@JoanStories) March 9, 2023
The RSA has updated its advice for road users in relation to the weather warnings.
In a statement this afternoon, it said that the public should heed local authority and An Garda Síochána advice on local conditions and are asked to monitor Met Éireann forecasts for updates on local conditions.
“The golden rule is drive with care and expect the unexpected,” it said.
Weather conditions will be disruptive for travel tomorrow.
It warned driving conditions may be particularly hazardous tomorrow morning during the busy commute morning times of 6am to 10am.
“The public should note that local conditions will vary across the country and consider those conditions. Any travel arrangements should be planned carefully in advance of setting out,” the RSA said.
It is advising the following:
Officials from Kildare County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team met this afternoon to review local preparedness.
“Our depots are currently fully stocked with salt and we have plant, equipment, snow ploughs and crews available to respond as required,” the Council said in a statement.
It said the Council has 10 key routes identified for salting throughout the county.
Salting is scheduled to take place on routes from 10pm this evening and another will commence at around 3am tomorrow morning.
“We will continuously monitor weather conditions overnight and tomorrow morning, and further salting may take place, if required,” the Council said.
Cork County Council has said its crews will continue to salt designated routes but are still advising motorists to exercise extreme caution.
“Conditions like these can be challenging to treat with intermittent rainfall/snow and freezing conditions likely between salting treatments that may result in icy conditions,” the Council said.
Wicklow County Council has said “caution is advised” over the coming hours.
The Council said it will grit roads in response to the ice and snow conditions.
Caution is advised over the next few hours. We will continue to grit roads in response to ice and snow conditions across the county. Details of the gritting routes are available on https://t.co/vzgAwLC00a #Wicklow @MetEireann https://t.co/PVLyPW68Tt
— Wicklow County Council (@wicklowcoco) March 9, 2023
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) Crisis Management Team held a second virtual meeting today with Met Éireann, the local authorities, the Principal Response Agencies, key Departments and responding national organisations.
In a statement following the meeting, the Department said:
“The decision to close a school rests with the school management authority taking into consideration the full guidance and direction available from the principal response agencies, especially An Garda Síochána.
“Any decision to close is taken in the interest of child safety, having assessed the local risks and having consulted, as appropriate, with school transport operators.”
It said some of the issues that schools take into account include:
Mayo County Council has confirmed its gritting teams will be out this evening and tomorrow morning.
Snow ploughs may be used if required, the Council said.
With low temperatures and snow, our gritting teams will be out this evening (March 9th) & tomorrow morning (March 10th). Snow ploughs may be used if required.
— Mayo County Council (@MayoCoCo) March 9, 2023
Please exercise caution if making a journey on roads
View our Winter Maintenance Plan here: https://t.co/uXKysdJrGI pic.twitter.com/PmKzUZia3j
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has also confirmed that all routes in the area will be gritted this evening.
In preparation for predicted cold temperatures overnight, ALL routes will be gritted this evening.
— Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (@dlrcc) March 9, 2023
To view our interactive map which highlights all gritting routes in the county, click here: https://t.co/bGUqByCHV8 pic.twitter.com/shbMqzqHTv
It’s not just the Republic of Ireland that’s getting hit with the bad weather conditions today.
In the UK, blizzards are due to cause “treacherous conditions” in the UK tonight and tomorrow morning – with 80km/h winds and up to 40cm of snow forecast in some areas.
The UK Met Office has issued three amber warnings for northern England, the Midlands, North Wales and Northern Ireland.
Three yellow warnings for snow also cover much of the rest of the nation, with the exception of southern England and western Scotland.
On foot of the Met Éireann’s Status Orange ice and snow warnings pertaining to much of the country, charity ALONE has issued a statement reminding the public that older people are particularly vulnerable to harm during the cold weather.
ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan said:
“We are calling on members of the public to remember their older neighbours living alone and to consider their needs; the cold weather may not last very long, but it could take place on a very important day for an older person that you know. They may have a doctor’s appointment, need to do food shopping or visit family, the cold weather affects everyone but older people continue to need the support of their friends and community. Whether it is collecting some fuel for them or just calling to say hi, a little thought goes along way to someone living alone or in need of assistance.”
Met Éireann meteorologist Gerry Murphy spoke to RTÉ’s News at One to brief the country on the latest forecast:
What we expect over much of Connacht, Clare, north Leinster, and Ulster – this evening and early tonight, that’s when it’s going to turn back into snow again. Those areas that are getting rain and sleet at the moment can expect falls of snow as we go through the early part of tonight.
After midnight, the system begins to move eastwards and it’s then going to bring snowfall overnight to Leinster and while that’s going on, there’s going to be a very severe frost further to the west.
Places that are getting rain and sleet at the moment, many of them will get snow tonight.
There will be snow on the ground in many places in the morning, possibly with snow continuing in parts of Wicklow and Wexford in the early morning before it clears away around 9am but for most places it will have cleared but there will be snow on the ground coupled with very severe frost. So that’s very important that things will be quite treacherous and hazardous tomorrow morning.”
Here’s one serene face in the snow in Carryduff, Co Down:
The Status Orange warning for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and all of Connacht has been shortened and is now set to lift at midnight tonight instead of 10am tomorrow.
However, a new Orange warning has been issued for all counties in Leinster that will start at midnight and last until 10am, with a similar warning from the UK Met Office in place in Antrim, Armagh, Down until 4am.
Met Éireann’s Status Yellow warning for the entire country will remain in place until noon tomorrow amid expected snowfall and icy conditions.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive has increased bed capacity as part of its cold weather strategy during conditions like the ones we’re experiencing today.
All of the emergency accommodation will be provided on a 24-hour basis with meals, the executive has confirmed.
It’s put out a statement explaining how the emergency protocol works and where people can seek help.
“Emergency weather contingency beds are temporary and activated for the period of the alert,” the executive said.
The beds are provided by NGO partners on the DRHE’s behalf.
“We encourage anyone requiring emergency accommodation to contact their local authority or the freephone service early in the day.
“The Dublin Region Outreach Service is working directly with rough sleepers from 7am to 1am daily and assists any individuals they meet to take up emergency accommodation.
“We would also continue to ask the public for their assistance during this time to let us know if they come across someone sleeping rough on our website here, call 01 872 0185 or via our free app Dublin City Rough Sleeper Alerts, available on both Apple & Android Platforms.”
Here’s the list of support contact information the DRHE is providing:
Hi all – Lauren Boland here again. Let’s take a look at some of the latest updates as the cold weather persists.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has re-issued its warning for motorists and to prepare for further cold weather.
“Road users are being advised to avoid making unnecessary trips in affected areas while Orange warnings are in operation. If driving in such conditions is unavoidable be prepared.
“The golden rule is drive with care and caution – expect the unexpected. Road users are advised to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on a journey and heed any public messages issued by An Garda Síochána and the Local Authorities.”
A spectacular video from high on the mountains above Dublin city at the Hell Fire Club.
"You might just as well say," added the March Hare, "that 'I like what I get' is the same thing as 'I get what I like'!" #snow #sneachta #weather #thursdaymorning @deric_tv @Dublin14Weather @Irishwildlife @UNBiodiversity @ThePhotoHour pic.twitter.com/jS8jPluvKo
— SavetheHellfire (@SavetheHellfire) March 9, 2023
Hugh McGrath of Limerick City and County Council Roads Department has been on with Claire Byrne on RTE Radio.
He said that his teams have been out clearing roadways overnight and this morning but said that the situation in Limerick and Clare is one of the most challenging he has seen in his career.
He complimented road users, particularly truck drivers, who have decided to park up and wait for the weather to improve.
McGrath added that Limerick Council are focused on national routes and that the more rural country roads will not be dealt with as he said: “by time we get to them nature will have taken its course”.
The going is less than ideal in Thurles so the racecourse operators have called a halt to racing.
In a statement this morning they said: “Horse Racing Ireland has announced that the Thurles meeting, which was scheduled for today but was cancelled due to a covering of snow on the track, will now take place next Monday, 13 March.
“This meeting will revert to entries at weights stage with fresh declarations to run to be made by 10am on Saturday.”
Plenty of pictures on social media from the mid-west this morning – it appears that road users in Counties Limerick and Clare have suffered a lot in the cold snap.
Here is an image from the roadway near Kilrush and Ennis in Clare.
The Kilrush road to Ennis this morning, taken photo taken by @Patrick53842354 #Weather #WeatherUpdate #rtenews pic.twitter.com/Dw4SLoISML
— 𝔄ꪀꪀꫀ𝓽𝓽ꫀ 𝐾ꫀꪖ𝓽𝓲ꪀᧁ (@annettesphotos) March 9, 2023
I’ll hand you over now to my colleague Niall O’Connor who’ll bring you new updates as they happen.
It’s now 11am, meaning the Status Orange snow and ice warning is officially in place for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and all of Connacht.
The rest of the country is under a Status Yellow warning.
Over on Twitter, the #sneachta hashtag is picking up pace as it usually does on snowy days – meaning you can have a handy scroll through Irish pics and updates rather than traipsing through the universal #snow.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has cancelled fixtures scheduled for today in Thurles due to snow on the ground after an inspection found the course unfit for racing.
Here’s what IHRB Clerk of the Course Lorcan Wyer said in a statement: “There was the prospect of some warmer air coming in today but that seems to be much later in the afternoon now and therefore we have been left with no choice to cancel the fixture”.
“We had a covering of snow overnight and the track was not raceable when we carried out our inspection this morning.”
A small number of schools in Munster have decided to close today, though the majority are remaining open.
The Department of Education has provided this statement to The Journal:
Information for schools about dealing with severe weather events is available on gov.ie/winterready and has been provided to all schools.
There is no requirement for schools to report closures relating to weather events to the Department.
The decision to close a school rests with the school management authority taking into consideration the full guidance and direction available from the principal response agencies, especially An Garda Síochána.
Any decision to close is taken in the interest of child safety, having assessed the local risks and having consulted, as appropriate, with school transport operators.
Some of the issues that schools take into account include:
- conditions in the school itself,
- capacity of the school to ensure the health and safety of students whilst in school,
- ability of parents, students, staff and school transport services to safely negotiate local road conditions to reach the school,
- and guidance and direction from the principal response agencies.
Guidance on time lost due to unforeseen closures as a result of severe weather is set out in Circular 0005/2020 – Standardisation of the School Year in respect of primary and post-primary schools for the years 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23.
The new Status Orange snow and ice warning for those 13 counties comes into effect at 11am and is set to last until 10am tomorrow.
Met Éireann expects:
UPDATE: A STATUS ORANGE snow and ice warning will come into effect in Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and all of Connacht from 11am.
In Limerick, multiple articulated trucks have been forced to pull to the side of a road near Newcastlewest, flashing their hazard lights as other traffic navigates slowly by them.
The weather has caused some seriously dangerous conditions on the roads. These images were taken by photographer Liam Burke in Co Clare:
UPDATE: Met Éireann has just extended the nationwide Status Yellow warning for snow and ice until noon tomorrow.
It was due to expire at 11pm tonight, with a second warning continuing in some areas until tomorrow morning, but it’ll now continue instead until Friday at 12pm.
For anyone out and about today, gardaí are asking road users to “exercise caution when driving today as road conditions may be poor in some areas”.
Roads in the Sally Gap area of the Wicklow mountains are have been “impassable” in places this morning due to accumulations of sleet and snow, the guards have said.
In Clare, poor driving conditions have been reported on the N68 between Kilmihil and Lissycasey and local roads in the area.
Garda units were called to the scene of two minor collisions reported near Lissycasey due to the poor weather conditions.
Meanwhile, in Tipperary, the weather has caused “increased difficulty driving” on the M7 Southbound between Nenagh and Birdhill and the M8 Northbound near Cashel.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful – sorry, we’ll leave the songs back in December.
But it is shaping up to be a frightful day out there as Status Yellow weather warnings are in place around the country for snow, ice and low temperatures.
Met Éireann is forecasting a day of rain, sleet and snow – though southern coastal areas are likely to see milder conditions than elsewhere.
The wintry weather is expected to move northwards throughout the day and into the east before another cold night.
Several parts of the country experienced snow last night, including areas in west Cork, Limerick, Clare and Wicklow, as temperatures dipped below freezing.
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