LAST UPDATE | 7 hrs ago
A STATUS ORANGE low temperature and ice warning has come into effect for almost the entire country, as Met Éireann warns that temperatures are set to drop even further tonight.
The national forecaster has said it will remain extremely cold with widespread severe frost, ice and lying snow, with the potential impacts including dangerous travel conditions, travel disruption and animal welfare issues.
The Orange low temperature and ice warning is in place for all counties in the Republic except Donegal, where there is a yellow warning. The Orange warning will remain in place until 11am tomorrow.
A Status Yellow low temperature/ice warning will remain in place for the whole country until noon on Friday.
A Status Yellow snow and ice weather warning is in place for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry until 11am tomorrow morning.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met again this morning to discuss the disruption caused by the ongoing cold weather and the latest weather warnings issued by Met Éireann.
Stay safe, informed & prepared by understanding the weather warning meaning for your area & take advice from your local authorities during weather events🥶
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 8, 2025
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The NECG urged the public to keep phones charged, check on elderly or vulnerable people in their communities and to be aware of continued nationwide disruptions to travel.
Keith Leonard, National Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, continued to emphasise the public safety advice during this prolonged period of cold weather at the meeting.
“Unfortunately we are seeing no let up in the bitterly cold weather conditions,” Leonard said.
“We are continuing to coordinate the responses by all agencies and local authorities to ensure the most appropriate responses and supports are happening at local level during these challenging conditions.
“Road and path surfaces will remain challenging throughout the country and I would urge drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to take extra caution if you have to set out on a journey. Remember, even where there is no lying snow, icy conditions will prevail and surfaces may look deceptively safe.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Six One News this evening, Leonard urged people to continue to “be prepared” and not become complacent.
“That’s always a possibility, particularly when you get into this long duration cold spell, that people think that the conditions are very manageable,” he said.
“But really, we would emphasise to people to really be very careful. Common sense prevails here. Just take care. The traveling conditions are the key pieces to watch out for. Those very, very cold temperatures tonight will have hardship for people right across the country.”
The Sally Gap in Wicklow is impassable and a mountain rescue team has described attempts by people to travel on such roads “during a weather warning and in vehicles not suitable for the conditions” as “idiotic”.
Weather stations in Dublin, Mullingar and Cavan recorded temperatures of minus five degrees overnight, with many other areas reaching as low as minus four and minus three.
It’s another cold day ahead followed by an even colder night, according to Met Éireann.
The national forecaster says this morning will be “bitterly cold” with widespread frost, ice and patches of freezing fog, all of which will persist in some areas all day. Most areas will be dry with bright or sunny spells except for some scattered wintry showers in the northwest and cloudier conditions in the south with a little patchy rain possible near the south coast for a time.
Tonight will be “extremely cold” with a few wintry showers affecting parts of the north and west and severe frost, ice or black ice and patches of freezing fog.
Lowest temperatures tonight are expected to reach minus eight to minus three degrees.
Tomorrow morning is set to be bitterly cold again with highest temperatures during the day of minus one to (plus) four degrees.
The UK Met Office’s forecast for Northern Ireland expects maximum temperatures of two degrees today with some coastal wintry showers before falling to minimum temperatures of minus five degrees tonight.
Tomorrow, the forecast for Northern Ireland says there will be a few wintry showers at first in the north but otherwise dry and bright with some good sunny spells, with potentially the odd freezing fog patch and maximum temperatures of two degrees.
The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) has urged road users to treat every road as treacherous in the context of widespread black ice, to only make essential journeys, to drive slowly and allow extra time for travel.
Public transport is continuing to operate, but people are advised to check with their operator before undertaking any journeys, as services may be affected depending on local conditions.
Those availing of public transport are also asked to allow extra time for their journey.
A number of schools made the decision to close over the last couple of days, with further closures anticipated in some of the areas most affected by the cold weather.
The NECG said the Department of Education, along with other Government departments, “will continue to carefully monitor developments with the weather and engage with key stakeholders”.
Some school transport services are also not operating due to weather conditions on roads in affected counties.
Wicklow County Council has warned motorists that the Sally Gap area is closed to all vehicles, while the Glen of Imaal Wicklow Mountain Rescue has shared online that on Monday alone, their volunteers helped more than a dozen people who had gotten stuck in vehicles on impassable roads in the Wicklow Mountains.
A Glen of Imaal Rescue spokesperson said that while local volunteers are “here to help”, people attempting to drive through the area “need to take some personal responsibility”.
“Taking your family on impassable roads, during a weather warning, in vehicles not suitable for the conditions is just idiotic. Please take the warnings seriously,” they said.
As of 8.15pm, there were approximately 500 homes, farms and businesses without power.
In an earlier update, the ESB said work will resume at first light tomorrow to reconnect any remaining customers.
The number of people without water today stands at 4,500, which has fallen from a high of 40,000 early Monday morning.
Uisce Éireann has said it expects the majority of those still without water will have it restored later today.
An Post has issued an update about the postal service, stating that it will attempt letter and parcel deliveries wherever it is safe to do so.
Almost all Post Offices are open but some are operating with reduced hours in areas still badly impacted by snow and icy roads.
“While more delivery routes are at least partially accessible today, many parts of Tipperary, Kilkenny, North Kerry, Limerick and Waterford remain inaccessible,” it said.
“As deliveries are attempted in the worst affected areas, An Post delivery staff will check in on customers living alone or in isolated areas, and will encourage anyone in need of assistance to call ALONE’s national contact number (0818 222 024).”
In Cork, which has experienced significant snow and icy conditions, County Council crews are trying to treat priority routes but are cautioning that widespread icy patches can be expected even on roads that have been treated.
⚠️ A Status Orange Low Temperature/Ice warning is now in place in Cork until 11.00am tomorrow morning.
— Cork County Council (@Corkcoco) January 8, 2025
❄️Extremely cold conditions are forecast overnight with widespread severe frost, ice and lying snow leading to hazardous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot.
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Cork County Council’s Local Coordination Group, which is made up of senior representatives from the council, An Garda Síochána, the HSE, the Defence Forces, ESB Networks and Uisce Éireann, convened this afternoon ahead of the Status Orange warning coming into effect.
In a statement, the group urged all road users to take “extreme care” if they must travel over the coming days and to check on elderly, vulnerable and isolated neighbours.
The group said conditions remain “extremely challenging” on many routes in north-west and north Cork, where lying snow continues to be an issue.
“Council crews are continuing to treat priority routes, however, due to the low temperatures, widespread icy patches can be expected even on treated roads,” it said.
“The ongoing low temperatures means there is a higher risk of slips, trips and falls on icy footpaths and steps. Older people should not venture outdoors in severe weather if possible.”
The group also said it is important that people “continue to consider all options and pathways available to them before attending the emergency department, which are always available to treat seriously ill patients – with the sickest patients seen first”.
It asked people with non-serious injuries that need care to visit their pharmacy, GP or family doctor, GP Out of Hours, or if it is safe to travel, the injury unit in Mallow.
Additional reporting by Jane Moore
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