Main points
- New warnings: A status orange low-temperature and ice weather warning is in effect from 8pm until 10am on Wednesday. A separate status orange low-temperature and ice warning has been issued from 6pm on Wednesday until 11am on Thursday
- Extreme cold: Met Éireann says night-time temperatures may drop to -8 degrees overnight into Wednesday
- Electricity: More than 6,500 premises remain without electricity with counties Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary worst hit
- Water: Some 8,000 premises are waiting for their supply to resume
- Roads: ‘Don’t be complacent’ say gardaí as temperatures drop
- Share your story: Cold snap grips Ireland: how have you been impacted?
- Join The Irish Times WhatsApp channel for breaking news straight to your phone
That’s it for our live coverage of the cold snap today. Read our summary of the situation as it stands.
An orange weather warning for low temperatures and ice is now in effect for all counties in the State, excluding Donegal, Dublin, Louth and Wexford. The warning will remain in effect until 10am tomorrow.
Met Éireann is warning of dangerous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot, travel disruption and delays, and animal welfare issues in impacted regions.
Donegal, Dublin, Louth and Wexford remain under a yellow warning for low temperatures and ice. The six counties in Northern Ireland also remains under a yellow warning for snow and ice, per the UK’s Met Office.
Some photographs from Gneeveguilla, Co Kerry, sent in by Linda Horgan.
The bad weather is continuing to affect the criminal justice system particularly in Munster where a number of district court sittings for Wednesday and Thursday have been cancelled, Southern Correspondent Barry Roche reports.
The Irish Court Service has confirmed that Nenagh District Court, which was due to sit in Thurles on Wednesday, has been cancelled with all custody cases adjourned until Thursday.
And Cashel District Court scheduled to sit on Thursday has also been cancelled with all cases adjourned to January 13th as freezing temperatures continue to leave roads treacherous.
In North Cork, the sitting of Mallow District Court scheduled for Wednesday has also been cancelled with all matters adjourned until March 25th for mention and hearing.
And in Macroom , Wednesday’s sitting of the district court has also been cancelled with all matters adjourned until January 15th and one family law matter going to Bantry on January 22nd.
In Limerick, the Family Law Court at Newcastlewest District Court scheduled for Thursday has also been cancelled with all matters being put back to Newcastlewest on January 23rd.
And in Kerry, Tralee District Court will sit as normal on Wednesday but Killorglin and Cahersiveen District Courts due to sit in Cahersiveen on Thursday have been moved to Tralee.
The Defence Forces have carried out a number of mercy missions today including bringing four people to hospital in Cork for dialysis as they were snow bound in their homes in Co Cork, reports Southern Correspondent Barry Roche.
According to a Defence Forces spokesman, some 135 personnel have been deployed so far to bring patients to hospital while they have also assisted in getting essential healthcare staff to work.
Troops from the Southern Brigade based at Collins Barracks have been to the forefront of ground operations including clearing snow and ice from badly affected areas across North Cork.
Defence Forces HQ also deployed an ambulance with with a crew of three Defence Force paramedics to University Hospital Kerry to assist with bring ill or injured people to the Tralee hospital.
Meanwhile the Air Corps was also involved in one medical evacuation today bringing an emergency case to hospital after roads in the area proved impassable due to snow and icy conditions.
The Air Corps is also assisting ESB Networks staff carry out line inspections in North Kerry, West and East Limerick and North Cork where thousands of homes are still without power due.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Matthew Martin, meteorologist with Met Éireann, said that parts of the country could see further sleet and snowfall before the week is out. “The cold spell looks like it’s going to continue, probably including Friday… We have a band of rain [that] is going to push in from the Atlantic, and there could well be some sleet and snow for a time on Friday morning in the south and southwest of the country.”
Mr Martin said it was possible that temperatures could fall as low at -10 degrees this week. Over the weekend, a gradual thaw will set in, he added, with midler temperatures expected.
The DSPCA has urged pet owners to take extra precautions in keeping their animals safe during the ongoing cold snap.
Cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets and other small animals should be kept inside, a spokeswoman said.
Elise O’Byrne White, Head of Veterinary at the DSPCA said: “After mild weather in recent months, this cold snap will be a shock to the system for many, including our pets. By taking simple steps, we can ensure their safety and comfort during this cold spell.”
ESB Networks said that approximately 6,500 homes, farms and businesses were without electricity on Tuesday evening. Impacted customers are in Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.
About 8,000 people in counties Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry were waiting for their water supply to be restored on Tuesday, Uisce Éireann said.
A spokesman for the authority said that, due to the continuing status orange weather warning, disruption to water supply is likely to continue in the coming days, with the number of those cut off expected to rise.
“Freezing ground puts stress on underground pipes and network connections to properties which can cause an increase in leaks and bursts,” the spokesman said.
Uisce Éireann crews were able to restore water to thousands on Tuesday – about 40,000 people were cut off on Monday evening.
The weather is continuing to play havoc with hospitals in Cork county with the HSE South announcing on Tuesday afternoon that all non-urgent medical appointments in Mallow and Bantry General Hospitals on Wednesday have been cancelled, reports Southern Correspondent Barry Roche.
“This decision was taken in light of additional weather warnings from Met Éireann, including the latest Orange Weather Warning,” said the HSE, adding that appointments at community facilities in North Cork will also be affected.
“While many appointments will go ahead in Cork City hospitals such as Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary – Victoria University Hospital, we appeal to patients not to travel unless it is safe to do so.”
Appointments will go ahead at community facilities around the city, east Cork and South Cork where it is safe to do so but a planned walk-in Children’s Covid-19 Vaccination clinic planned at St Mary’s Primary Care Centre in Gurranebraher will not go ahead.
“At Cork University Maternity Hospital, all patients are asked to present for their appointment, again provided it is safe to do so. If it is not safe for you to travel, contact the CUMH on 021-4920500 to reschedule,” said the HSE in a statement.
Tipperary County Council is advising the public not to travel within the county unless it is absolutely necessary.
Backlog of funerals in Kerry due to weather conditions
Funerals in Kerry have been delayed and requiem masses postponed by several days because of the extreme cold spell as conditions continue to remain poor in the southwest of the country.
In some cases bereaved families have not been able to leave their homes with the deceased having to lie in repose in private because of safety concerns. Priests have also been affected with many unable to travel.
Read Anne Lucey’s full report here.
Parts of the midlands are expected to feel the lowest temperatures on Tuesday night, the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) has warned after a meeting on Tuesday.
Temperatures are set to drop to between -3 degrees and -8 degrees tonight, “with even lower temperatures possible locally,” it said.
Keith Leonard, national director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, urged the public to check in on vulnerable neighbours and ensure they have everything they need as temperatures are set to plummet.
“As the extremely cold weather continues, we will continue to see hazardous travel conditions for much of the week. 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.
“Local Authority teams are continuing to work hard treating roads, but 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,” he said.
Cold weather initiatives are in operation across all local authorities to provide additional emergency beds for rough sleepers where needed while outreach teams continue to work with rough sleepers and encourage them to avail of accommodation, according to the NECG.
The majority of schools have opened as normal this morning, however, some remain closed due to local conditions and safety concerns, 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,” it said.
Although the majority of schools are operating as normal, they will continue to monitor weather warnings and conduct risk assessments in the morning, according to the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) director Paul Crone.
Schools which are without power and water are liaising with local authorities about when such services will resume, he said while some are also dealing with heavy snowfall on school premises and “refreezing” on top of that.
“Others are dealing with school transport not operating or if they’re on a back road in the rural area, the road to the school is unsafe to access. So they’re constantly monitoring that to tell if the situation is changing.
“Many schools will be trying to get local contractors to maybe scrape the yard and the school or the access to the school to try and remove fallen snow, spreading salt to try and make sure that they can make the schools safe to open.
“A lot of them are having success in that and some of them are not having success with that,” he told RTÉ's News at One. – Vivienne Clarke
Temperatures in some parts of the country will not rise above zero degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, while a separate orange warning could be issued later in the week, Met Éireann’s senior forecaster Gerry Murphy has warned.
Wednesday night will be colder than Tuesday night, he said, while a status-yellow alert in place until 6am on Friday could be upgraded to a status-orange warning for some counties on Thursday night.
“The broad message is that it’s going to be extremely cold with severe frosts, ice, lying snow, and then added into that as the winds decrease, some freezing fog as well, which would all mean very poor conditions for travelling,” he told RTÉ radio’s News at One.
Mr Murphy explained that a yellow warning is for temperatures as low as -5 degrees, while an orange alert signals temperatures reaching minus nine degrees. Temperatures below -10 degrees would warrant a red alert.
“Broadly across many counties tonight, we can expect those temperatures to drop to between -5 and about -8 or -9. Perhaps one or two places will go lower.
“But broadly, as low as -8 is what we expect tonight over a large number of counties and that has a major impact due to the frost, but also then on people as well.
“These are very, very low temperatures so great care needs to be taken of people with regard to vulnerable people and homeless people and also all areas of communities really where temperatures may affect people and indeed animal welfare as well,” he said.
Mr Murphy said temperatures as low as -8 are quite unusual and occur in “very limited circumstances” though they are not expected to drop to 2010 levels when a prolonged cold spell saw temperatures reach as low as -16 degrees in some areas.
“We don’t expect that in this instance but certainly between -5 and -10 degrees in many places so people need to take great care,” he said. – Vivienne Clarke
Looming temperatures will be ‘dangerous to life’, Taoiseach says
Taoiseach Simon Harris has warned that the weather expected in the coming day will not be “normal winter temperatures” and that people should be prepared for something dangerous and out of the ordinary, Pat Leahy reports.
Mr Harris said that he saw a comment on social media saying “it’s the winter, of course it gets cold in the winter.”
“I’m making the point to people that we’re not talking about seeing normal winter temperatures tonight or tomorrow, we’re talking about seeing extremely low temperatures that are dangerous and that are dangerous to life and wellbeing if people don’t take precautions,” Mr Harris told reporters at the opening of a special school in Naas, Co Kildare.
“I often see people saying, ‘isn’t this what happens in the winter? Doesn’t it get cold?’
“We’re not in that space,” Mr Harris said. “We’re in the space of seeing a period of time for the next 48 hours where the temperatures are going to be extraordinarily low, something that we’re not used to experiencing regularly in this country.”
Mr Harris urged people to “take precautions” and said that “nobody should be afraid to put on the heating or to keep warm during this period of time” saying that “supplementary welfare payments are always available to anybody who may require that additional support in general.”
Mr Harris encouraged people to “to look in on people who are particularly vulnerable at this time” and said that “from a rough sleeper’s point of view, I have been informed that there will be accommodation available in terms of adequate capacity for anybody who requires shelter.”
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has renewed its call for road users to be vigilant and exercise caution as hazardous conditions such as frost, ice, fog and lying snow affect roads nationwide.
“Even treated surfaces can remain dangerous particularly as the effectiveness of sanding and gritting is being hampered by rain and sleet showers.
“Road users are asked to treat every road as treacherous in the context of widespread black ice, make only essential journeys, take it slowly and allow extra time for travel to reduce risks for all and to relieve the pressure on the emergency services,” the RSA said in a statement.
It advised road users in areas affected by the status-orange warnings to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on a journey.
Affected postal services will resume as quickly as possible “once conditions are safe,” An Post has said in an update.
Conditions in Kilkenny remain “treacherous” while parts of Kerry, Tipperary, Limerick and Cork are still badly impacted, it said.
“While road, pavement and weather conditions continue to impact letter, parcel and post office services, An Post staff have been able to safely attempt deliveries on at least part of more affected routes this morning,” it said.
An Post’s National Control Centre will continue to monitor road and weather conditions though services are expected to be impacted in some areas due to the status orange weather warning.
“Any affected postal services will resume as quickly as possible once conditions are safe,” it said.
Snow ploughs were used to clear yards and access roads around several An Post local delivery depots as well as Portlaoise Mail Centre to ensure staff and operational safety.
Six post offices remain closed on Tuesday it said, which are in Brosna and Castlegregory in Co Kerry, and Kilmallock, Templeglantine, Ballylanders and Anglesborough in Co Limerick.
Power reconnections and improved road clearance has enabled staff and postmasters to access other offices, it said.
Further outpatient appointment cancellations have been announced by the HSE at St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny.
Most hospitals across the health service are operating as normal, however, some hospital appointments and community and day services have been cancelled in some areas due to weather conditions, the HSE said.
It is advising the public to check here for any service disruption updates.
The ongoing severe weather conditions are having a “serious impact” on farmers across Munster, while the announcement of further status-orange weather warnings is a “real concern”, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
Noting that there may be no thaw until temperatures rise at the weekend, Conor O’Leary, IFA Munster regional chair, said the challenge of maintaining water supplies for livestock due to frozen pipes is the biggest problem at the moment.
“The main concern for farmers at times like this is to look after their animals. This can be very challenging without electricity or water, or with difficulties in transporting supplies to the farm,” he said.
While ESB crews and local authorities are working to restore services, Mr O’Leary said it is “vital” that full resources be made available to clear roads and restore and maintain services.
Farmers across Limerick, Tipperary, Cork, parts of Kerry and into south Leinster are dealing with the most severe aspects of the cold weather conditions, he said, adding that the latest weather alerts suggest conditions will compound difficulties further.
“Farmers have also been helping their neighbours by obtaining and delivering supplies. Farmers are happy to do this, but the pressure is mounting on farmers themselves as the cold spell continues. While it is understandable that the main roads are a priority, clearing local roads also needs to be a priority,” he said.
17,000 remain without water
Some 17,000 people are currently without water, mainly in counties Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry, according to Uisce Éireann.
About 13,000 customers have had their water restored since last night, it said, however, with temperatures expected to drop to as low as -10 degrees in some areas, Uisce Éireann is expecting further impacts to water supplies in the coming days.
Margaret Attridge, head of water operations, urged the public to conserve water and to report any leaks on the public network.
“As some counties face Arctic conditions, which can impact on our pipe infrastructure, letting us know of breaks on the public network allows us to dispatch our expert crews as early as possible, therefore protecting the levels of water in our reservoirs for the whole country,” she said.
Deliveries will be affected across parts of the country during status-orange weather warnings, An Post has said.
“We will resume all affected postal services as quickly as possible, and when routes are safe for our team,” it posted on X.
Temperatures could plummet to -10 in some areas
Temperatures could plummet to -10 degrees in some areas while status-orange weather warnings are in effect, Liz Coleman, Met Éireann’s deputy head of forecasting has said.
Lowest temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday at night will be recorded in the midlands, and generally where snow is lying, she said.
“You’ll see temperatures maybe dropping down to -10 in some areas but generally across the country, it will be -5 for the next few nights,” she told RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne.
While there have been reports of scattered showers of snow and sleet on Tuesday, “accumulations are not expected to be huge”, she said, adding that there will be little to no precipitation in the coming days, “just that cold clear air and those hard frosts at night-time.”
Rain due on Thursday night will transition to further sleet and snow as it meets the cold air, she said, though it will be followed by milder air.
Lying snow will not melt until the weekend when temperatures climb beyond 5 degrees during the day, Ms Coleman said, adding that “treacherous conditions” on roads and paths will continue until then.
Although fully operational, flights at Dublin Airport may be delayed throughout the day due to adverse weather effects on airports in the UK, Dublin Airport has said.
Cork Airport, meanwhile, is advising passengers to allow “ample time” to get to the airport while Shannon Airport has reported delays to UK flights due to weather in the UK.
Snow and ice teams are currently clearing the runway at Ireland West Airport in advance of the arrival of its first wave of flights.
Two orange weather warnings issued
A status-orange low temperature and ice weather warning due to come into effect on Tuesday evening has been issued for 22 counties by Met Éireann.
The warning is in place for Munster and Connacht as well as counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Cavan and Monaghan.
The alert, which comes into effect at 8pm tonight and lasts until 10am on Wednesday morning, warns that conditions will be “extremely cold with widespread severe frost, ice and lying snow”.
The alert issued by Met Éireann shortly after 9am warns of dangerous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot, travel disruption and delays and animal welfare issues.
A second status-orange low temperature and ice weather warning has been issued for Leinster, Munster, Connacht, Cavan and Monaghan, which lasts from 6pm on Wednesday until 11am on Thursday.
ESB Networks regional manager Brian Tapley has spoken of the “challenging” conditions in their efforts to restore electricity to the 10,000 customers who remain without power during the current cold snap.
Mr Tapley told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that helicopters were being used to transport repair crews to some areas where the difficulty was in identifying the location of faults and then repairing.
The worst affected counties are Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.
He gave the example of Newcastlewest in Co Limerick where the line feed to the village is damaged in a number of locations. Crews are being brought in by helicopter each morning, he said.
ESB Networks is working with the Department of Defence, local authorities and agricultural contractors to assess the situation. Snow and ice storms cause different problems, he explained, which has led to situations where roofs have collapsed due to the weight of snow as have trees.
In some cases ice has frozen the controls on transformers leading to short-circuiting, he said. – Vivienne Clarke
Back in Cork, an articulated truck is stuck on the R585 at Cousane, Cork County Council has warned, amid “very challenging” road conditions across the county “even on routes that were recently treated”.
The R585 road will be closed, the council said.
“Our salters and ploughs were out throughout the night. However, there are reports of dangerous conditions right across the county,” it posted on X.
Limerick City and County Council has joined other local authorities in warning of “hazardous conditions” on roads this morning caused by snow and ice.
“Motorists are strongly advised to stick to treated roads whenever possible, but even on these routes, great care is essential,” it said, urging motorists to travel “only if absolutely necessary”.
The chairman of Kerry Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Jason Fleming, has called on the Government to have a “plan B” when it comes to remote areas during extreme weather conditions.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Fleming said his members were utilising farm vehicles that could travel roads in bad weather conditions to bring supplies to people stranded in remote areas without power.
The IFA is also assisting the HSE in getting medical supplies to remote areas and in transporting medical personnel to work. They are helping to “pull cars from ditches” and to remove trees and debris from the roads, he said. – Vivienne Clarke
Irish Rail warns of possible delays and disruption.
Kerry County Council, meanwhile, is urging motorists to travel “only where absolutely necessary” and to do so with “extreme caution” due to a combination of snow and ice on roads this morning.
“Where possible, motorists are advised to remain on treated routes and even on these routes, extreme caution is advised,” it said.
Cork County Council has warned of treacherous conditions across the county this morning with widespread black ice, “even on treated routes”.
Weather warning likely to be upgraded as temperatures to drop to -8 degrees
Met Éireann has issued an appeal to motorists to take extra care on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as freezing fog is likely to make for very hazardous travel conditions.
Forecaster Andrew Doran-Sherlock told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that current frost and ice conditions are unlikely to change as temperatures will not rise above freezing during the day and will drop to -8 degrees at night.
“There’s going to be severe frosts and icy stretches,” he said. “Then tomorrow it’s going to be a bitterly cold day with 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,” he adds. “And we’ve got the other complication: that there’s going to be freezing fog developing during the night. And again, that’s really not going to shift in places through the day and that’s going to make for very hazardous travel conditions.”
The current status-yellow warning is likely to become a status-orange alert later today in some parts of the country, he added. The “wintry” showers, however, will begin to ease through Wednesday and into Thursday and will be most frequent in the north and northwest.
Mr Doran-Sherlock said it was anticipated, from the current models, that the temperatures would turn warmer by the weekend with likely highs of six to 10 degrees, “which is a significant rise on what we’re getting at the moment. And the nights will be a little bit chilly, but nothing like what we’re expecting at the moment. So by the weekend it will be a lot less cold.” – Vivienne Clarke
Good morning,
Status-yellow weather warnings remain in place for the entire country as Met Éireann has said that these could be upgraded to status-orange.
Commuters have been warned that frost and ice along with some lying snow will persist in some areas all day.
While rain showers are spreading across the West and north, it is falling as snow further inland.
It will remain cold and largely dry throughout the day with temperatures of just 0 to 5 degrees while temperatures could drop as low as -8 overnight on Tuesday night.
