Icy weather set to return this week

THE icy weather that brought the country to a halt over Christmas is set to return this week, with households and businesses already struggling to repair the damage caused by the previous cold spell.

Met Éireann has warned that a sharp frost as well as sleet and snow is expected over much of the country tomorrow night, with a possibility of up to 10cm of snow falling in some areas.

According to forecasters, snow showers will mainly affect counties in the west and north during Saturday night, with wintry showers expected on Sunday.

Met Éireann’s monthly weather summary has shown that December was officially the coldest month on record as Arctic conditions wreaked havoc across the country.

Mean air temperatures for the month were up to six degrees lower than normal in places, plummeting to as low as -17.5C in Mayo on December 25.

Around the country between 14 and 24 days with air frost were recorded during the month, more than twice the normal number for December.

But there were also short periods of milder weather making the month drier and sunnier than normal.

Elsewhere, monthly rainfall totals were below normal everywhere but sunshine totals varied widely, with both Belmullet and Valentia Observatory recording their sunniest December on record.

Met Éireann said while 2010 began and ended with spells of exceptionally cold weather, the months between April and September were warmer than normal with total rainfall below normal.

The highest temperature, 25.6C, was recorded in Carlow on May 23.

The thaw that followed the cold snap continues to bring problems as burst pipes and water restrictions cause disruptions.

The Department of the Environment has said that at this stage water supply has stabilised across most of the country, but that the next big test will be Monday when schools reopen after the Christmas break.

Dublin City Council has said water restrictions will remain in place for the next three nights, while in Cork, water service has been restored to all areas except Mallow, where the public is being asked to check unoccupied properties for leaks or breaks in the main water pipes.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council said that interruptions to the Mallow water supply will continue over the coming days due to excessive demand, but that most areas have an uninterrupted supply and all areas have a supply for some part of every day.

Clare County Council has estimated that about 200 households in the county are still without water, with disruptions expected for another two days before supply returns to normal.

Limerick County Council says it is still rationing water in the greater Abbeyfeale area, where demand is exceeding supply, while the situation in the city has improved after widespread disruption.

Environment Minister John Gormley said efforts were being made to replace the current water infrastructure, but it would take at least 10 years to upgrade the current system.

Meanwhile, insurance companies have reported that claims due to burst water pipes are continuing to pour in, but it would not be possible to put an overall cost on this bill for a number of weeks.

The big freeze in early 2010 led to the biggest ever insurance bill for a single weather event.