LIVE: Orange low temperature warning comes into effect as -8C expected in parts
Kamil and Jadwiga clear their dive of snow at the home in Charleville, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan
A status orange low-temperature/ice warning, issued by Met Éireann for 22 counties, has come into effect as temperatures are forecast to drop to as low as -8C on Tuesday night.
The Arctic conditions are expected to last until Friday, with daytime temperatures struggling to rise above freezing.
The first warning applies to Munster, Connacht, Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Cavan, and Monaghan. It came into effect at 8pm on Tuesday and will end at 10am on Wednesday.
A second orange warning, covering Munster, Leinster, Connacht, Cavan, and Monaghan, will take effect from 6pm Wednesday to 11am Thursday.
Met Éireann warns of "extremely cold conditions with widespread severe frost, ice, and lying snow," bringing dangerous travel conditions, potential disruptions, and risks to animal welfare.
A nationwide status yellow warning for low temperatures and ice is also in place until midnight Friday.
Taoiseach Simon Harris described the situation as a transition "from a snow event to a very low-temperature event."
He urged caution, saying: "We're talking about temperatures dropping to -8C, -10C, and in many ways, it could potentially be a more dangerous period of time.
"Because while snow may not be visible everywhere, footpaths and roads can be extremely dangerous."
He called on people to "keep their guard up" and "to prepare for an extraordinarily cold period of time".
Around 6,500 homes and businesses remain without power, and 8,000 homes are without water, primarily in Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary. These figures may rise due to the status orange weather warnings.
The ESB is using helicopters to transport repair crews to inaccessible areas, including Newcastle West in Co. Limerick, where damaged lines are causing prolonged outages.
"Conditions are challenging," said ESB regional manager Brian Tapley.
"In Newcastle West, the line feeding that village is damaged in several locations, and for us to gain access to repair that, we are having to bring our crews in by helicopter each morning," he told .
"Conditions are difficult to identify the faults, to switch out the network, and to do the repairs, and that is why it is taking us a number of days to get the last number of customers back."
The HSE has cancelled all non-urgent outpatient and clinical appointments in Kerry until Thursday due to "dangerous conditions" for patients and staff. Urgent appointments such as dialysis and chemotherapy will proceed, with staff contacting affected patients.
Antenatal, endoscopy, and oncology day services will continue, but updates will be provided if changes are necessary.
HSE Kerry area manager Julie O’Neill called the cancellations a "difficult but necessary decision," highlighting the importance of safety for patients and staff.
In Cork, non-urgent appointments at Bantry and Mallow General Hospitals are cancelled on Wednesday. Appointments at Cork city hospitals, including Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital, and the South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital, are proceeding, though patients are urged not to travel unless safe.
Cork University Maternity Hospital patients unable to travel safely are advised to contact the hospital at 021-4920500 to reschedule.
Wednesday’s planned walk-in children’s Covid-19 vaccination clinic at St. Mary’s Primary Care Centre is also cancelled.
An Post is urging social welfare recipients to not worry about being unable to collect their payments.
Head of Corporate Communications, Anna McHugh assured those who have not yet collected payments "not to panic, it'll be there safe and secure waiting for them when it is safe to do so,"
Schools in parts of the Midlands and Munster are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to hazardous travel conditions. Decisions on closures are made by individual school management authorities.
The decision to close a school "is a matter for individual school management authorities" around the country.
Additional resources have been deployed in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary, which have experienced the worst snowfall. Road salting and gritting schedules have increased from twice daily to three times daily.
Met Éireann predicts temperatures could plunge to -8C on Tuesday night, with a "bitterly cold" Wednesday morning featuring widespread frost, ice, and patches of freezing fog. These conditions are expected to persist throughout the day, causing hazardous travel.
Wednesday night will see another severe drop in temperatures, with lows of -8C and further wintry showers.
Met Éireann spokesperson Andrew Doran-Sherlock told that the current frost and ice conditions are unlikely to change as temperatures will not rise above freezing during the day.
“There’s going to be severe frosts and icy stretches. Then tomorrow it's going to be a bitterly cold day with the highest temperatures not even getting above freezing in some areas.
"It will be followed by another extremely cold night on Wednesday night with another very cold day on Thursday. So really, anywhere that's got frost and ice, there's a good chance that it won't shift through the days.
"And we've got the other complication, that there's going to be freezing fog developing during the night. And again, that's not going to shift in places throughout the day. And that's going to make for very hazardous travel conditions.”
Temperatures are expected to rise on Thursday night into Friday, as rain, sleet, and snow move northeastward across the country.
The weekend will bring milder weather, with highs of 6C to 10C.
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.
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