Live BlogSTORM EMMA HAS passed through Ireland but heavy snow continues in many areas of the country.
A Status Red snow-ice warning has been extended until 9am for Dublin, Kildare, Wexford, Wicklow and Meath.
While the warning to stay inside has been lifted, authorities are advising that caution is still needed as many areas are being severely impacted by drifting snow.
The government has asked motorists not to drive today unless it is absolutely necessary.
This was our liveblog throughout the afternoon and early evening, as the latest emergency briefing took place.
We’ll have all the main news on the site throughout the rest of the evening.
Handy travel guide here from the AA:
Some amazing scenes here from the Coast Guard:
The cleanup is continuing at Dublin Airport.
One of the main takeaways from this evening’s briefing was that Wexford appears to be bearing the worst of the impact of today’s heavy snow.
This picture was sent to us this afternoon by Aidan Kent, who was driving a 4×4 tractor – we’ve had a few similar ones showing high snowdrifts along secondary roads.
That’s all from the press briefing, folks.
We’ll continue to provide all other latest updates on weather conditions throughout the evening here, so keep watch.
A spokesperson from An Garda Síochána is warning people not to travel unless essential.
He is asking people who have to travel to have a mobile phone fully charged, to wear hi-vis clothing, and to tell somewhere where they are going.
The HSE spokesperson has highlighted the fact that Ireland has many local injury clinics.
Anyone who fears they may have a fracture is being asked to attend an injury clinic, if possible, instead of Emergency Departments.
A HSE spokesperson has begun his speech by recognising the “heroic” work that health service staff have done over the course of the week.
He is asking the general public, or anyone available of the 999 services, to be patient with emergency services due to difficult road conditions.
People are going to suffer more slips, trips and falls, as the snow begins to thaw. The spokesperson is asking people to visit their elderly neighbours and look out for them. He is asking people to ensure elderly neighbours have emergency buttons and phones on hand in case they fall.
This morning, Ireland had 30,000 premises without power supply. Over 80% of these areas have been restored.
However, that figure rose again throughout the day, an ESB Networks spokesperson said.
Public transport
The Midlands will face significant disruptions tomorrow with regards to public transport.
The Luas has not achieved to get engineering trams out on the tracks to check overhead cables. If they can do that tonight, they are in a potential position to get things up and running today.
Dublin Bus is checking routes at the moment and most of the main roads in Dublin look in good condition for services tomorrow morning, once heavy snowfall doesn’t occur tomorrow.
“Getting drivers into work may be a problem,” a spokesperson from the Department of Transport said.
Some of Bus Eireann’s Expressway services may be in operation tomorrow.
A spokesperson from the OPW has said that river levels have been falling over the past two weeks, however, there is potential now for river levels to again rise suddenly.
“We’re warning about that possibility and it will manifest itself as snow melts,” he said.
“We are advising all of the public and farmers to stay clear of rivers.”
Sea level
The OPW high-tide warning remains in place until Monday.
High-tides coming into Cork at around 6am pose dangers, he warned.
He said that there is potential for severe localised flooding in eastern coastal areas tomorrow.
Evelyn Cusask said it will be very difficult to provide a lot of detail on the thawing of snow.
However, she said some of the snow in eastern areas may turn to “sleeting snow” throughout the day.
If it does turn to rain, Cusack said it will be bad news as it will cause the snow to melt and lead to flooding.
Evelyn Cusack from Met Eireann is now briefing the press on the weather situation.
We have a conveyor belt of precipitation passing through Ireland, pushing up through the east coast, Cuack said.
The easterly wind will still be present across the country tomorrow, however, it will not be as powerful as today.
If it freezes again, the danger is always of slips and falls, Hogan warned.
“Icy conditions on foot will again be extremely hazardous,” he said.
Injuries from falls will put additional pressure on emergency services, he said, and this is something they don’t need.
“We’re asking people to clear their footpaths. Put a little salt on it and it will help keep you and your neighbours safe,” he said.
ESB Networks are in a dynamic situation, Hogan said.
30,000 customers were without power this morning and it has remained fairly static throughout the day.
Hogan warned this figure could deteriorate throughout the night.
Sean Hogan said the M50 is proving particularly difficult to clear of snow.
“It is continuous and difficult work,” he said.
Sean Hogan from the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) has begun the press briefing.
He is warning not to travel except in exceptional circumstances.
“Only those who need to be out should be out on the roads,” Hogan said.
The National Emergency Coordination Group is about to brief the press. We’ll bring you the most important lines.
You can watch it here:
The Luas Red and Green Line services will not operate in the morning.
Luas will tomorrow make a decision on when services can resume after 9am.
The transport provider expects that there will be no Green Line service between Sandyford and Brides Glen, or on the Red Line between the Red Cow and Tallaght, and the Red Cow and Saggart tomorrow at all.
These areas of the tracks have been badly affected by snow.
A family in Kilbridge, Co Meath hit a mound of snow earlier today while out travelling in their car and got stuck in the middle of the road.
It took them an hour to dig through the snow surrounding the car to clear the way again.
Here are some of the snow depths recorded this morning across the country by Met Éireann:
Wexford County Council’s emergency call centre on 053 919 6000 has now closed.
The council’s normal out-of-office emergency line on 1890 666 777 will operate from 5pm this evening until 9am tomorrow.
The emergency call centre will open again at 9am for emergency calls.
Wexford has been experiencing extremely challenging conditions across every part of the county due to very thick snow.
Well, while many people struggled to leave their homes today, these four snowmen tucked into a lovely picnic in Oldtown, Newbridge.
Many roads in Wicklow have become impassable.
These areas include Arklow, Blessington and Baltinglass.
Wicklow Town is experiencing some flooding.
Kilkenny County Council has said that salting is currently underway this evening on the main routes, except for the roads from Ballyragget to Castlecomer, and Mullinavat to Listerlin.
The crews will be out again in the morning from 6am.
There will also be crews out to salt other roads and clear footpaths from 8am tomorrow morning. The Defence Forces will assist local authority with this work.
The council’s dedicated call centre will close at 6pm this evening.
In the event of an emergency, the public is advised to contact the out-of-hours number on 1890 252 654.
The National Emergency Coordination Group are meeting currently to review weather conditions nationwide.
A press briefing will be held later this evening and we’ll provide all the latest updates on it.
If you’re running low on provisions you may have to wait until tomorrow to get them but some stores are starting to reopen.
All Dunnes Stores in Ireland are closed today and Tesco Ireland has made the same decision.
Some Aldi and Lidl stores have been reopening though. Here’s a rundown of the shopping situation:
Did you have to abandon your vehicle due to heavy snowfall?
Dublin City Council is asking road users to recover their vehicles as soon as possible to prevent it blocking roads.
However, the government has asked motorists not to drive today unless it is absolutely necessary. So, if you need to recover your car, please do so with extreme caution.
Check out this beautiful photo of the Grand Canal in Ballsbridge Dublin, taken earlier today.
Have you snapped any lovely photos in the snow today? Send them our way at pictures@thejournal.ie.
Coastal areas of south Dublin are beginning to be affected by severe flooding.
Water is pouring in onto Dun Laoghaire’s seafront.
Similarly, the rail tracks at Monkstown Dart station are currently underwater.
An Garda Síochána is warning people to avoid Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
In a tweet, they said that driving conditions are very poor and are warning people to stay at home if possible.
Changing their tone for a moment, they instead suggested that people “throw on an oul box set and kick back”.
All forms of public transport will remain shut for the rest of the day, but some operators have said services will resume tomorrow.
Irish Rail
Irish Rail says inspections will be carried out overnight and, where possible, services will resume in the morning. An update on exactly what routes will reopen is expected later today.
Surcharges are being waived for customers who want to change or cancel their bookings, see Irish Rail’s website for more details.
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann says some services will resume in the morning but it is currently unable to say what routes will operate. It is expected that services will be significantly scaled back.
Luas
Luas maintenance teams are working to de-ice overhead power lines and to clear snow from stops and tracks. A team of snow ploughs and diggers has been mobilised however the company that operates the tram is unable to say it will be back running.
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus expect to be back running in the morning, however, there will be disruption to scheduled services and diversions will be in place.
To kick things off, here’s a quick update on the latest weather warnings:
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