LAST UPDATE | 9 Dec 2022
MET ÉIREANN HAS this afternoon extended its cold weather advisory to Wednesday with temperatures set to remain around freezing for the next six days.
Forecasters said it will remain very cold into the middle of next week due to an Arctic airmass, bringing sharp to severe frosts, and ice or black ice on roads and footpaths.
“Some showers of hail, sleet, and snow will occur, mainly in coastal counties. Freezing fog is likely at times, especially this weekend. Winds over land will remain generally light,” the forecast reads.
It was a snowy start to the morning in some parts of the country as temperatures dropped to as low as almost -5 degrees overnight.
A Status Yellow freezing fog warning is currently in place for Munster, Galway, Roscommon, Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow until 4pm.
Another Status Yellow freezing fog warning will then kick in at 4pm for the whole country and will remain in place until midday tomorrow.
A Status Yellow snow and ice warning is currently in place in Donegal until midday tomorrow.
A Status Yellow ice warning for the whole country will kick in at 7pm and will remain in place until midday tomorrow.
In Northern Ireland, the UK Met Office has a Yellow ice warning in place for Antrim, Down, Tyrone and Derry until midday on Sunday.
Snow fell in some areas of the country overnight, particularly in the east, with temperatures dropping as low as almost -5 degrees.
The coldest temperature in the country last night was recorded in Gurteen, Co Tipperary where conditions dropped to -4.7 degrees, followed by Mount Dillon, Co Roscommon at -4.5 degrees.
Very cold overnight with minimum air temperatures below average 🥶🌡️📉
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) December 9, 2022
Temperatures will continue to fall over the coming days so do take heed of warnings➡️https://t.co/BoUueCJ5zI
and advice from ➡️https://t.co/GgyXeUmEfC pic.twitter.com/0Gypbzvmpb
Temperatures aren’t expected to rise above 0 to 4 degrees today.
Met Éireann says it’ll be very cold and dry for much of the country today with low winter sunshine.
There will be icy stretches, with some lying snow and patches of freezing fog in some areas.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Phibsboro. #sneachta pic.twitter.com/aSasEfe4JB
— Craig Dwyer (@DwyerCraig) December 8, 2022
And then this started to happen …#sneachta #Dublin #Christmas22 pic.twitter.com/S54aD29kaE
— Pádraic Gilligan (@Padraicino) December 8, 2022
It’s going to be another bitterly cold night tonight with temperatures dropping as low as -5 degrees again.
There will be a widespread sharp to severe frost along with icy stretches. While many areas are forecast to stay dry, some showers of hail and snow will affect Atlantic coastal counties, but falling as rain near the coast.
Met Éireann says it’ll be “bitterly cold” over the weekend with “treacherous conditions” on the way.
Tomorrow is due to be generally dry with low winter sunshine and isolated wintry showers.
Frost and ice will linger in unsheltered areas, along with some patches of freezing fog.
Highest temperatures tomorrow will range between 0 to 4 degrees, dropping to as low as -5 tomorrow night.
Dense freezing fog is forecast for some areas tomorrow night, leading to impaired visibility.
Met Éireann says temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing with frost, ice and freezing fog persisting throughout the day.
Sunday night will see widespread frost and ice overnight with temperatures dropping as low as -6 degrees. There will be wintry showers of sleet and snow moving in towards the Atlantic coast.
Aylesbury park #Tallaght #sneachta #snow pic.twitter.com/H8lHddeXdQ
— Ronan Mooney (@MooneyRonan) December 8, 2022
Great to have so many reports of snow in Dublin and some coming in from Wicklow now. However I also have a lot of messages asking will it hit other areas. It is mainly Donegal, Dublin and Wicklow at risk but parts of Kildare also and a dusting could but further inland. https://t.co/07RA7pCfNj
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) December 8, 2022
Transport updates
Many flights ave been delayed at Dublin Airport this morning as a result of the cold weather, with knock-on effects expected throughout the day.
In a statement, daa media relations manager Graeme McQueen said that “while the runways and taxiways at Dublin Airport have been open and operational all day, some airlines experienced delays to their flight schedules due to de-icing their aircraft in the extremely cold weather this morning”.
“This has resulted in knock-on delays to flights later in the day,” McQueen said.
“Passengers are advised to check with their air
A number of Irish Rail services were impacted also this morning.
A number of other Dart services were cancelled this morning, with other trains running slightly delayed. However, Irish Rail has said delays have now eased on Dart and Commuter services.
Irish Rail is providing updates to cancelled and delayed services on its Twitter account.
Dublin Bus has said that services are experiencing “significant delays” due to bad weather conditions.
Route 44B is not in operation until further notice and Route 65 will not service Ballyknockan in both directions until further notice.
Luas earlier reported delays of up to 30 minutes on its Red and Green Line services. The Red Line service is running on time again.
Advice to motorists and pedestrians
The Road Safety Authority is asking motorists to be extra cautious on untreated road surfaces. A polished or glossy appearance on a road could signal black ice.
The RSA is advising drivers to:
For pedestrians, the RSA has advised:
Dublin City Council gritted over 300km of roads overnight, representing around a quarter of the city’s total road network.
10 crews were in place from 6pm yesterday carrying out the works, which targetted the main arterial routes in and out of the city.
Further advice
Charity Alone is urging older people to take extra care and keep themselves warm as temperatures drop and for people to check in on their neighbours.
CEO Seán Moynihan said that “following a drop in temperatures and a frost risk, we are advising older people to be prepared by ensuring they have adequate heat, medication and food at home. Many older people are often hesitant to reach out and ALONE want them to know that they should not be afraid to ask for support if needed.”
It is advising older people to be cautious of falls by limiting walking outdoors during icy conditions, wearing well fitted shoes, and ensuring that floors in their homes are clear from any trip hazards.
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has cautioned farmers, fishers and others working in rural areas to take extra safety precautions.
“Farmers should ensure that their yards are safe, firstly by tidying up to remove material which can cause trips or falls. All dripping taps, pipes and drainpipes should be repaired to avoid slippery patches of ice in the yard,” the minister said.
“It is important to plan early and attempt to address potential challenges before they arise. Create an inventory of what supplies you might need to keep your yard and farm safe such as salt for gritting as well as adequate feed stocks.
“As a starting point, it is important that all animals have free access to water. Supplies of drinking water should be checked daily, and surface ice broken on troughs twice per day. It is important that taps should not be left running to prevent freezing.”
Rough sleepers
Before the cold snap hit earlier this week, the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) confirmed there will be a bed available to everyone who wants one in the coming weeks.
The DRHE makes additional beds available each winter through its cold weather strategy.
” The DRHE has arrangements in place for Extreme Weather across the Dublin Region. All emergency accommodation is provided on a 24 basis with meals. Extreme weather beds are provided by NGO partners on behalf of the DRHE,” a spokesperson said.
People are being encouraged to contact the DRHE for emergency beds early in the day on 1800 707 707.
The Peter McVerry Trust has said it has made over 100 additional bed spaces available for its winter and extreme weather response across Dublin, Kildare and Meath.
The charity has a further 66 extreme weather beds on standby across Dublin, Kildare and Meath.
“So far we have mobilised an additional 35 beds in Dublin, and we have a further 66 beds on standby across Dublin, Kildare and Meath and I am sure many of these will be used in the coming days due to the very low temperatures being experienced by people on the streets,” Peter McVerry Trust CEO Pat Doyle said.
“We have also extended the hours operated by our Housing First intake team in the Dublin region, with staff now out engaging people sleeping rough from 7am to midnight every day to try to encourage people into services and provide them with transport to get there,” Doyle said.
He said the charity has “learned hugely from previous responses such as the Beast from the East and Storm Emma”.
“We now have a set of services with additional extreme weather capacity on a permanent state of readiness, with all the required items needed to make the beds available within an hour of being called upon. This means regardless of it being an extreme weather event, a major incident, or an emergency leading to a closure of another hostel in the sector, we can readily respond and accommodate those in need,” he said.
Members of the public are being encouraged to download the DRHE’s rough sleeper app, which can be used to alert the Executive to where a rough sleeper may be in the Dublin region.
The app is available on Android and on iOS.
“If a member of the public spots someone and is worried about someone who is rough sleeping they can pin the location and our partners, Simon Outreach, will be out to them within an hour,” DRHE director Mary Hayes told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier this week.
With reporting by Lauren Boland
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