New cold snap to be 'less severe'

Up to 2in (5cm) of snow is forecast in parts this weekend as the cold snap makes a return.

But Met Éireann predicted conditions will not be as bad as the pre-Christmas big freeze.

Hilly areas in the south west and midland counties are expected to bear the brunt of the wintry conditions tonight but the north east could also see a smattering as the latest front moves across the country.

A second weather system could bring snow to the north west tomorrow before milder conditions creep in from the Atlantic early next week.

Eoin Sherlock, Met Éireann forecaster, said: “We have a warning out for about 2cm to 5cm. We don’t think it’s going to be as bad as it was before Christmas.

“It’s more likely that there will be snowfall on higher ground, anything over 100 metres, but it could still fall down on lower levels too.”

The National Roads Authority said it has 50,000 tonnes of salt and will have vehicles treating the roads tonight and tomorrow morning.

Spokesman Sean O’Neill said: “That’s more than ample to deal with all the national roads over the next coming days and we will continue to have shipments arriving over the coming weeks as we obviously have a good chunk of winter left.”

Met Éireann said a front will move diagonally north east across the country bringing rain, sleet and snow to the south west, midlands and parts of north-east Ulster before moving off to the Irish Sea.

Temperatures will drop to -6C tonight with motorists being warned of a sharp to severe frost bringing icy conditions.

“It looks like the colder temperatures will be in the west and north west of the country so if there are any untreated surfaces ice will form,” Mr Sherlock said.

The mercury will gradually rise from Monday onwards, pushing up to 12C by Tuesday.

Meanwhile water restrictions are to continue in Dublin over the weekend, with reservoir levels now at over 900 million litres, shy of the 1,100 million litres target.

Curtailments may be lifted on a phased basis from Monday but demand will be monitored as schools return.

A spokesman said repair crews are still working on 10 broken water mains across the city, and said they would be monitoring the weekend drop in temperatures.

“It’s not expected to be severe or as prolonged as it was in December,” he said. “We have to keep an eye on it.”

He said it was the dramatic rise in temperatures after Christmas that caused the breaks to the mains.

Supply is improving in council areas across the country, but restrictions remain in pockets.