Main points
- New Met Éireann status yellow warning of more snow, ice comes into effect at midday for 24 hours
- 17,000 customers remain without electricity, and 30,000 are without water today
- The National Emergency Co-ordination Group met on Monday before warning that hazardous travel conditions will continue for “much of the week”
- Schools and childcare facilities have been closed in parts of Kilkenny, Cork, Tipperary and Wicklow and others on an individual basis. The Department of Education is monitoring the poor conditions and will issue updates as necessary
- The HSE has said a number of hospitals have cancelled outpatient and day services.
- Met Éireann says the cold weather will persist until Friday morning, while daytime temperatures will struggle to climb above freezing and night-time temperatures will plunge as low as minus 8 degrees in some places during the week
- Cold snap grips Ireland: how have you been impacted?
That’s it for our live coverage of the weather today. Read our summary.
Some schools are expected to remain closed on Tuesday, although the vast majority operated as normal on Monday.
“As always a decision to close a shcool is a matter for individual school management authorities around the country, as they are best placed to do this in light of local weather conditions, which vary significantly in regions,” a Department of Education spokesperson said.
Borris College in Co Carlow will close tomorrow.
Met Éireann has said it is “most likely” that weather warnings will be upgraded to orange level. “That yellow level, low temperature warning will be up to an orange level warning for some and much of the country,” meteorologist Gerry Murphy told RTÉ's Six One News.
At present, the country is under yellow warnings for snow, ice and low temperatures.
Uisce Éireann restored water to 13,000 people on Monday afternoon, although approximately 30,000 – mainly in Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Dublin – were still waiting for their water supply to be restore by 6pm.
The outages have been caused by burst pipes in the water supply network, and by electrical outages at treatment plants or pumping stations, a spokeswoman said.
Water supplies to 27,000 people are presently at risk – in the aforementioned counties, and in Wexford and Laois – due to low reservoir levels. Freezing conditions are “likely to cause ongoing impacts on water supplies over the coming week”, the spokeswoman said.
There are some delays to trains services this evening, Iarnród Éireann said.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin has paid tribute to members of the Civil Defence “who have worked tirelessly over the past 48 hours responding to severe weather across the country”.
The Fianna Fáil leader noted in a statement that more than half of the Civil Defence’s 28 units have been active across 11 counties since the onset of the cold snap.
“This essential ongoing work has included assisting HSE staff in transporting palliative care and dialysis patients; helping Gardaí with vehicles stranded on roads; assistance to homes with no power or water; the transport of healthcare staff, and the provision of fuel for generators for vulnerable home care patients,” he said.
“Through their dedication, civil defence personnel have offered significant assistance to people in need during challenging weather conditions.
“We are fortunate to have the services of such professional, experienced and willing personnel at such a demanding time for so many, especially the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
Power returns for some with 17,000 still in the dark
The ESB has made considerable progress in restoring power to customers impacted by outages brought on by wintry weather over the week, although 17,000 homes, farms and businesses were still cut off on Monday evening. Earlier on Monday, up to 34,000 were without power.
The majority of those still without power are based in counties Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.
The ESB said that power restoration efforts will likely continue for a number of days in worst affected areas “due to the hazardous weather conditions and accessibility challenges”.
There will be further cancellations of appointments in a number of hospitals later this week as a result of the severe weather, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said, writes Health Correspondent Shauna Bowers.
Most hospitals across the health service are operating as normal, however in areas most affected by the wintry weather there has been some cancellations, which are likely to continue into the week.
A photo from inside the Tralee Regional Sports and Leisure Complex – the roof of the centre collapsed this morning at 6am.
Waterford City and County Council has deployed 10 snowploughs on a continuous basis to prevent snow accumulations on the county’s roads. The council has also gritted over 750km of road using 800 tonnes of salt since the cold snap set in.
Gabriel Hynes, senior engineer with the local authority, said: “Waterford City and County Council ground crews are continually attending to the road networks to ensure they remain safe and passable. However, we would still urge all motorists to exercise caution on their journeys.
“Night-time temperatures are set to drop considerably and travelling conditions will be challenging, even on gritted roads, so please slow down, drive with caution, be aware of other road users and allow extra time for your journey.”
Clare County Council, meanwhile, has warned motorists to only travel where necessary and to exercise caution when travelling, “even on roads that have been ploughed and gritted.”
Roads were ploughed and gritted on Sunday evening and again on Monday morning, however, the council said there have been isolated snow showers in parts of the county “with more forecast throughout the day.”
“Additional routes will be ploughed and gritted today as resources allow and priority routes will be ploughed and gritted again this evening,” it said in an update.
Hazardous travel conditions will continue for “much of the week”, the national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management has said.
Following a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) on Monday, Keith Leonard, warned that wintry showers and extremely low temperatures will continue over the coming hours and days.
“Given the prevalence of extremely low temperatures throughout the country over the next few days, road and path surfaces will present a hazard to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. Even where there has been no snow, icy conditions will prevail and surfaces may look deceptively safe.
“Furthermore, it’s important to emphasise again that even where roads have been salted, people should slow down, drive with caution and allow extra time for their journey. Drivers travelling longer journeys should be aware of conditions right along their route, as conditions are differing widely across different parts of the country.
“As well as looking after yourself, we are also asking you to look out for others,” he said.
Following Monday morning’s meeting to discuss and co-ordinate the ongoing response to the disruptive weather, the NECG has warned that roads will continue to remain in a dangerous condition over the coming days, “even after the weather warnings have ended”.
Noting that some schools have decided to close, it said the Department of Education, along with other Government departments, “will continue to carefully monitor developments with the weather and engage with key stakeholders”.
Local Authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams (SWATs), meanwhile, continue to monitor conditions locally and emergency response teams are ready to respond where and when necessary, it said.
“Local authorities are continuing to salt roads as well as footpaths in urban centres where possible,” it said in a statement.
The NECG urged the public to ensure phones are kept charged and to monitor Met Éireann forecasts while farmers have been advised to take “all precautions when dealing with livestock and possibly working alone”.
A family owned pub on Main Street in Charleville, Co Cork has seen its outdoor area roof collapse under the weight of heavy snow leading to thousands of euro in damage, Olivia Kelleher reports.
Corina Gough, general manager of Geary’s Bar, told the Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM that the outdoor area fits around 500 people.
“It would be about 75 per cent of our business this time of year. It is fully heated with televisions and things like that. When the electricity went we were unable to close it in and it collapsed yesterday.
“It is a retractable roof, it is a fantastic machine but it buckled. We measured up to 14 inches of snow. In severe weather warnings you open it in so that it folds up like an accordion. But if your electricity goes you are stuck. With no electricity yesterday the whole thing collapsed,” she said.
Ms Gough said a “serious” amount of damage has been done to the pub.
“It is even impacting on another roof out there so we can’t even get in underneath it. We can’t get up to the sheds. The steel girders around the side all buckled. They are in half.
“It is only going to get worse because it is weighing down. We have televisions and speakers furniture all ruined. Even the metal bar in the stage area has crumpled with the weight of everything,” she said.
Ms Gough said she was surprised by how serious the situation became in such a short period of time.
“We closed up, brought in all our furniture, those sorts of things, but by the time we were doing that, the electricity was gone.
“Even around town on the Main Street there is gutters hanging and I know of a farm shed out the road that just caved in. I have never seen snow like it,” she said.
Sports complex closed after roof collapse in Kerry
A sports complex in Tralee, Co Kerry has been closed indefinitely after a roof collapsed following heavy snow.
The sports hall roof of the Tralee Regional Sports and Leisure Complex which has more than 1,400 members collapsed at about 6am on Monday morning.
Jim Finucane, chair of the management board of the sports complex, said nobody was in the building at the time.
Emergency services were called following the collapse and the building and grounds have been closed to the public.
“It is intended to carry out an assessment of the building to determine the next steps,” Mr Finucane said in a statement.
Mr Finucane described the complex as “popular” and a “very important facility”, telling Radio Kerry: “We’re going to do all we can to get it back up and running as quickly as possible.”
In a post on social media, the sports centre which attracts m 300,000 visits each yearsaid it is closed “indefinitely”.
Some 43,000 now without water
Some 43,000 people are now without water, according to Uisce Éireann, up from the 40,000 reported early on Monday morning.
Uisce Éireann said it is working to restore water supplies to approximately 43,000 people in North Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Dublin while supplies to a further 27,000 people are at risk due to low reservoir levels.
“Our crews alongside local authority teams are working in difficult freezing conditions to access water-treatment plants and pump stations to return water supplies to those affected by bursts on the network and electricity outages,” it said in a statement.
Uisce Éireann urged households, farmers and businesses to insulate exposed water pipes and tanks and to conserve water.
Cork County Council has indicated that the majority of primary roads have been treated and are “passable with caution”, Olivia Kelleher reports.
However, the local authority is still urging the public not to travel unless it’s absolutely necessary. Most priority three and other routes remain in very poor condition and are impassable in places. The focus in north, northwest and mid-Cork are the priority one and two routes as well as towns and villages.
Cork County Council has said that the R578 Newmarket to Freemount is treated but road conditions remain poor whilst road conditions at the R578 Bog Cross to Dromina, the R515 Newtownshandrum Village, the L1320 – N20 to Churchtown and the R619 are very poor. The R579 Banteer to Nadd remains closed due to a combination of fallen trees and snow accumulations.
Meanwhile, HSE South West has reiterated that all non-urgent appointments – such as outpatient appointments and other clinical appointments – are cancelled today.
While the majority of appointments scheduled for Tuesday will go ahead as planned, they are asking the public to travel only if safe to do so.
“We understand that road conditions will vary across the city and county. If you cannot safely make it to an appointment, please let your team know and they will reschedule it for you as soon as possible,” a spokesperson said.
“In particular, a number of appointments in North Cork (hospital and community) will be deferred tomorrow, and HSE staff will contact those affected directly.”
All non-urgent appointments at CUH, South Infirmary Victoria Hospital, Mercy University Hospital, Bantry Hospital and Mallow Hospital will not go ahead today but most will take place tomorrow, as scheduled. The situation will be kept under review over the next few days. There will be further localised impacts at Bantry and Mallow hospitals but anyone affected will be contacted directly.
At Cork University Maternity Hospital, all gynaecology outpatient appointments are not going ahead today but will recommence tomorrow. Antenatal appointments are going ahead, which means that any expectant mother with an appointment should attend.
Staff are providing care urgent and emergency care and this will continue. HSE staff are contacting patients with urgent appointments such as dialysis and chemotherapy to make arrangements.
Dublin Simon Community has said the situation for people sleeping rough on the streets of the capital in the current cold snap has become “incredibly challenging”, Tim O’Brien reports.
Emma McMillen, director of homeless and community services, said at any time of year, sleeping on the street poses its risks “but these extreme weather conditions present additional health and safety concerns”.
Dublin Simon’s Outreach was on the streets helping rough sleepers on Sunday night as it is every night, Ms McMillen said, adding: “given the freezing temperatures, we are doing everything we can to support those out in the cold.”
There are two official counts of those sleeping rough in spring and winter each year. The winter 2024 count, conducted by the Dublin Simon Community Outreach Team on behalf of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, found 134 people sleeping rough.
“What is clear right now is that there are a number of people sleeping out in bitterly cold weather and this can be life-threatening. With this in mind, we are urging the public to download the Rough Sleeper Alerts app, to help us locate those without shelter and offer them assistance at a time when they need it most,” said Ms McMillian.
Outpatient appointments scheduled to take place on Tuesday at Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise have been cancelled.
Patients are being contacted and will be rescheduled as a priority, the hospital said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation. Urgent and emergency care continues at the hospital. Any patient who needs emergency hospital care will be seen and the hospital would urge such patients not to delay attending the ED or seeking medical attention if you suspect you are having a heart attack or stroke; please dial 999 or 112 in an emergency.
“The Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise apologises for any inconvenience caused and thanks the public for their support and understanding,” a spokeswoman said.
It was one of several hospitals to have outpatient appointments cancelled on Monday due to weather conditions.
At University Hospital Kerry, all non-urgent clinical appointments, all outpatient appointments and appointments for dental services have been cancelled until Thursday.
Further disruptions to HSE services can be found here.
Clonmel’s horse racing fixture on Thursday has been cancelled as the cold snap continues to disrupt the sporting calendar across the country, Olivia Kelleher reports.
IHRB clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer said the track at Clonmel is unfit for racing due to a covering of snow.
“The current weather forecast is for temperatures to remain very low and dropping as low as minus seven degrees in the Clonmel area this week.
“Due to the current conditions and the forecast for the coming days, the fixture scheduled for Thursday, 9th January, has been cancelled. The team at Clonmel are working with Horse Racing Ireland regarding a new date,” he said.
Clonmel Court Office, meanwhile, has been closed due to adverse weather conditions, while court sittings in Cork, Kerry and Limerick were delayed to midday on Monday. Carlow and Kilkenny courthouses are closed for the day.
34,000 remain without power
Some 34,000 customers now remain without power, according to ESB Networks, down from the 41,000 reported early on Monday morning.
Cork County Council is asking motorists to avoid the N20 Charleville road to facilitate ploughing and gritting operations, Olivia Kelleher reports.
A snow plough is working on the Newmarket to Rockchapel road with only a single lane cleared in places due to snow accumulations. The Banteer to Nadd road remains closed due to fallen trees. The regional Newtown to Bog Cross road in Dromina is impassable because of compacted snow.
Conditions are very poor on the R582 Macroom to Millstreet and R619 Coachford to Donoghmore roads with council ploughs and salters on site. There are also reports of ice on N71 at the Viaduct with salting ongoing.
Cork County Fire Service has responded to more than 40 calls over the past 24 hours, most of which were weather-related incidents.
Meanwhile, council crews will be focusing on treating town centres and footpaths this morning, particularly in North Cork. Pedestrians are advised to take extra care. Cork County Council’s Emergency Line remains open on 021 4800048 to report any issues.
Mallow and Fermoy swimming pools will be closed all day today. All Cork County Council civic amenity sites are closed this morning. Council offices in Annabella Mallow will remain closed to the public until further notice due to icy conditions.
Post services ‘severely’ affected in some areas
Adverse road conditions and power outages are “severely impacting” deliveries and post office services in certain areas, An Post has said.
“As things stand currently, it will not be possible to make letter or parcel deliveries on the majority of postal routes in counties Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary and some parts of Wicklow.
“Should conditions improve, deliveries will be attempted where it is safe to do so. Post offices in the same counties are also impacted and while some may be able to open later once power and access are restored, many will remain closed today,” An Post said in a statement.
An Post said it will proceed on a “safety first basis” and will resume delivery and post office services “as soon as safety and local access allow”.
New weather alert warns of further snow accumulation
A new nationwide status yellow snow and ice warning has been issued by Met Éireann until midday on Tuesday.
The 24-hour alert, which comes into effect at midday on Monday, warns that wintry showers will bring “further accumulation of snow”.
Weather warning extended
A nationwide status yellow low temperature and ice warning has been extended by Met Éireann to midnight on Friday.
The alert which initially ran until midday on Thursday warns of potentially hazardous travelling conditions, travel disruption and icy patches.
An Post deliveries will be impacted in “many parts of the country” due to adverse weather conditions.
Several local authorities, including Kerry County Council and Cork County Council, are urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel this morning.
The high level of snowfall on Sunday is affecting “all sectors of society”, according to Keith Leonard, the national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM).
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) will meet again on Monday morning, and the key focus will be the restoration of power to more than 41,000 households and businesses, he said.
The Defence Forces were deployed on Sunday to assist ESB Networks on Sunday and will be deployed again on Monday, Mr Leonard said.
Meanwhile, some 390 salt spreaders were deployed on Sunday, covering more than 13,000km of road network in “very difficult operating conditions”, he said.
“Now that the snow has stopped falling, that will make the treatment operations much more manageable,” he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
‘Substantial’ number of school closures in affected areas
While the vast majority of schools are opening on Monday, a “substantial number” in Carlow, Kilkenny, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Cork will be closed, according to Minister for Education Norma Foley.
“The right decision really is the one that puts safety first,” she said, adding that schools will make the “right decision and the best decision” individually in the coming days.
Where schools can make provisions for online learning, they will, Ms Foley said, though she noted that some 41,000 customers are currently without power.
“In my own home county, there has been unprecedented levels of snowfall, I have never actually seen the level of snowfall we have experienced in Kerry and I know that’s similar in other counties,” she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
Flight schedules at Dublin Airport may be affected on Monday with possible delays as a result of airports elsewhere in Europe being affected by bad weather conditions.
As of 8am on Monday, there are no flight cancellations, though passengers have been advised by Dublin Airport operator DAA to check with airlines directly for updates.
“Those travelling to the airport this morning should allow plenty of time to get to and from the airport,” said Graeme McQueen, media relations manager at DAA.
At Cork Airport, meanwhile, flights are operating as normal although one Ryanair flight from London Stansted has been delayed as have two Ryanair departures to London Gatwick and Liverpool.
The weather has had a serious impact on Bus Éireann services in the south and southeast with the 8am Waterford to Cork and the 11.40am Cork to Waterford services both cancelled, Barry Roche reports.
The weather has also affected Waterford to Limerick services with both the 7.40am from Waterford to Limerick and the 11.25am from Limerick to Waterford also falling victim to the weather.
Back in Cork, all morning services between Cork and Fermoy and Cork and Clonmel and the return services have also been pulled by Bus Éireann due to treacherous roads in the north of the county.
Bus Éireann services from Cahir and Clonmel to Waterford including some services to the South East Technology University in Waterford have had to be cancelled because of the weather.
And all local services between Waterford city and Tramore have also been cancelled this morning as have services to Wellington Bridge in Wexford with over 30 services impacted by the weather.
Meanwhile the HSE South West took the decision on Sunday night to cancel all non-urgent appointments at its hospitals throughout Cork City and county as a result of the weather conditions.
All outpatients appointments at Cork University Hospital, South Infirmary Victoria Hospital, Mercy University Hospital in the city and Mallow and Bantry Hospitals in the county have been cancelled.
At Cork University Maternity Hospital, all gynaecology outpatient appointments are cancelled but antenatal appointments are going ahead so expectant mothers with appointments should attend.
The snow and freezing conditions have also impacted on community services with physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy appointments being deferred.
The HSE said it was asking people for these appointments as well as those due to attend community psychology, podiatry and dietetics clinics not to travel in the light of the hazardous driving conditions.
HSE South West Regional Executive Officer Dr Andy Phillips said the decision to cancel all of these services was taken to ensure the safety of both patients and staff at the hospitals and clinics.
“HSE staff are prioritising service delivery for vulnerable patients and those with acute care needs. Staff are making transport arrangements for patients to get to vital appointments such as dialysis and urgent cancer care appointments.”
“Every effort possible is being made to ensure that staff and those who use our services are kept safe, and that essential services are maintained. We have the support of voluntary and community agencies in getting staff to work, and we thank them for their support.”
Dr Phillips said that HSE staff will be in touch as soon as possible to reschedule people’s appointments and where it is possible and appropriate, staff may offer people a virtual appointment.
See the cold snap in pictures here.
Uisce Éireann will be working closely with ESB Networks throughout Monday to prioritise areas without water as a result of power cuts to pumping stations, according to head of water operations Margaret Attridge.
As of Monday morning, some 40,000 people were without water in Cork, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary.
“We’d hope to have a lot of them back by lunchtime,” she said.
Water supply is at risk for a further 30,000 people due to low reservoir levels, she added, before urging the public to conserve water throughout the day.
“This is either where power has just been restored and the reservoir levels need time to build or it’s where we’re seeing excessive demand in particular areas,” she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
It could take a “couple of days” for power to be restored to all customers due to accessibility issues, meanwhile, according to ESB Networks regional customer delivery manager Brian Tapley.
In Cork, gardaí are advising motorists to drive with care if they have to go out, with roads in many parts of the north of the county still proving treacherous and unpassable, Barry Roche reports.
In Kanturk, gardaí are working with the Civil Defence to get about as around a foot of snow (25cm) remains on the ground with many back roads in western Duhallow impassable.
Sunday had seen heavy snowfalls in surrounding villages such as Kiskeam, Ballydesmond, Boherbue, Lismire and Kilbrin as well as Newmarket town, and the snow remains on the ground.
“It’s frozen on some roads overnight after being compacted so it’s very treacherous around here so we would advise people to avoid any unnecessary travel,” said a Garda spokeswoman.
In Mallow and Charleville, further east, a similar situation prevailed, with heavy snows on Sunday on the main N20 Cork-Limerick road making it almost impassable near Charleville.
Initial reports suggest it didn’t snow overnight but yesterday’s falls remain on the ground and have frozen in some places making many back roads icy and treacherous for motorists.
“It’s pretty bad around here in Mallow – even Mallow town itself is bad with icy roads and footpaths, and people should be staying at home if they can at all,” said a Garda spokeswoman.
In Macroom in mid-Cork, gardaí were reporting the N22, the main Cork-Killarney road, was passable at least to the county bounds but local roads were more tricky and treacherous.
“It’s not snowing at the moment but what fell yesterday has been compacted and frozen so a lot of local roads around the town are pretty dangerous,” said a Garda spokeswoman.
In west Cork, Cork Safety Alerts were warning motorists travelling between Bandon and Timoleague to exercise great caution as the R602 was icy and quite dangerous.
As of Monday morning, approximately 41,000 customers were without electricity, according to ESB Networks.
The main locations affected are Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Laois and Wicklow.
Uisce Éireann, meanwhile, is working to restore water to approximately 40,000 people in, Cork, Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary.
The 6.15am Cork/Middleton & 07.45am Middleton/Cork rail services have been cancelled due to the poor weather conditions, according to Transport for Ireland updates
Bus Éireann customers are being advised to check the TFI App and the service update section on the @BusEireann website for the latest information
Good morning. Tens of thousands of homes are without power and many schools are due to stay shut today following heavy snowfall on Sunday across Munster and southern Leinster, with cold temperatures forecast to persist for the next few days, according to Met Éireann.
Here’s the latest from the forecaster: Temperatures are expected to remain bitterly cold today with widespread frost and lying snow, mixed with scattered shower of rain, hail and sleet. The top temperature will reach 5 degrees and will drop to as low as -5 this evening.
The weather will remain extremely cold throughout the week, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday nights with minimum temperatures ranging from -8 to -3 degrees.
Met Éireann has warned that areas of freezing fog will develop in some areas leading to hazardous travelling conditions and a few wintry showers will continue along the north coast.
However, it is expected to be less cold by Friday with outbreaks of rain spreading eastward and highest temperatures of 3 to 6 degrees.
