High alert over blizzards and zero visibility as ‘Beast from East’ on a par with 1982 big freeze

The ‘Beast from the East’ Siberian snow storm set to grip Ireland from tonight could cause as much havoc as the historic 1982 freeze that brought the country to a standstill.

The Government and Met Éireann confirmed the scale of the weather front as they warned schools may shut from Thursday, rural and regional roads could become impassable, and flights will be grounded if the event is as severe as predicted.

Speaking to reporters as British temperatures slumped to -16C, with up to eight inches of snow falling overnight and continental Europe temperatures falling even further, Ireland was warned to prepare for the worst snow in four decades.