Flood alert as Big Thaw arrives
Met Éireann warned of floods due to a dramatic thaw, with temperatures shooting up from recent daytime highs as low as a bitter -9C, to 8C on Sunday and 10C yesterday.
A Met Éireann forecast said with the expected snow melt coupled with heavy rain, there will be some local spot flooding.
“Overnight rain will be heavy with strong southerly winds and may cause flooding due to the rapid thawing of snow. Temperatures will recover to near normal, with more rain and freshening south-east winds during Monday night before heavy showers for Tuesday. Mainly dry, cold weather will return on Wednesday.”
Ireland’s retailers have already had holes blown in the profits by the appalling weather this month, with Retail Excellence Ireland predicting a 6.7% drop in sales this December compared with last year.
Shops are also battling falling sales following the intervention of the IMF and austerity budget.
Poor conditions yesterday are expected to have resulted in another multi-million euro dent in the till. Dr Tim Denison, director of retail intelligence at high street analysts Synovate, said the number of shoppers in Ireland fell 8.1% year-on-year in the week to December 19, and by 10.4% on Christmas Eve.
