Winter wonderland ‘not unusual’ this time of year

THE wintry weather was back with a vengeance yesterday to the delight of children and the dismay of motorists.

Motorists have been advised to take special care again today due to icy conditions on the roads.

The cold snap mainly affected parts of Munster, Connaught and the north-west.

With temperatures having dropped as low as -3C on some roads yesterday morning, motorists were advised to drive with extreme caution.

Met Éireann said the conditions, while cold, were not unusual.

“This type of weather is not all that unusual for the time of year. Although it is spring, we are only a couple of days into March and there is effectively no difference in the weather we are having now and that which we had in February,” said Met Éireann meteorologist David Rogers. “The main areas affected by the snowfall were the west coast from Donegal down through Shannon and Cork and right to the tip of Kerry.

“There was plenty of frost with temperatures as low as -3. The general temperature was just above freezing.”

However, there is good news ahead for those who are not fans of the snowy weather, as temperatures are set to rise today bringing a return to milder spring weather for the remainder of the week.

Although much of the west counties experienced similar cold weather overnight, things are expected to improve today.

“Things will improve gradually today. Temperatures will increase and the showers of hail, sleet and snow we have had over the past few days will gradually lose their intensity,” said Mr Rogers.

Cork was one of the worst affected areas yesterday with drivers warned to avoid the Mitchelstown bypass after some 20 vehicles became stuck in six inches of snow.

Road conditions improved considerably as the morning progressed, although earlier snowfalls resulted in some very slushy, wet routes in Munster, Connaught and Ulster.

Very slippery road conditions were reported on the N21 in Limerick between Newcastle and Abbeyfeale, while drivers were warned to avoid the Rathkeale to Ballingarry Road with driving conditions there reported as “treacherous”.

In Donegal, motorists were advised to take extreme care through the Barnsmore Gap, but most other routes improved considerably during the day.

In Mayo, snowfall caused dangerous driving conditions near Ballina, Crossmolina, Belmullet and the N59, while snow was also reported in Leitrim.