Met Éireann weather forecast Ireland: Flights cancelled at Dublin Airport as Met Éireann issues new Status Orange freezing fog warning – Independent.ie
Independentie
| 0.5°C Dublin
Menu Sections
Menu Sections
Premium subscribers enjoy unlimited access to all articles. But there’s more: discover your full benefits now.
Close
Maria Baratu and her children, Philip and Beatrice, from Ashbourne, Co Meath, play in the snow in the Dublin mountains. Photo: Damien Eagers
A heavy frost surrounds Bunratty Castle and gounds in County Clare. Parts of Ireland have been blanketed in snow with forecasters warning that freezing conditions are set to continue
Harry Bolton, aged 15, from Rathfranham, with his dog, Lily plays in the snow in the Dublin mountains. Picture credit; Damien Eagers
Horses graze in a snow covered field near Glencullen, Co Dublin on Sunday. Photo: Damien Storan.
11/12/22 Freezing conditions pictured in the Wicklow mountains. Pic Collins
Freezing fog at Firhouse. Pic: Owen Breslin
/
Ralph Riegel and Laura Lynott
Met Éireann has issued a new Status Orange freezing fog warning for most counties from noon until midnight today as Ireland gets hits with an Arctic blast of cold weather.
The alert covers all of Connacht, as well as Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.
"Freezing fog, dense in places, will persist through the afternoon and into tonight, leading to very hazardous driving conditions," Met Éireann said.
We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.
A Status Yellow freezing fog warning will also come into force at midnight tonight and last until 10am tomorrow as the country continues to shivers through freezing temperatures, snow and freezing fog.
This warning will cover Connacht, Cavan, Donegal, Longford, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly and Westmeath.
Ireland is bracing itself for the “great freeze” as temperatures plummet.
A significant number of schools are set to close as principals are being advised to make safety decisions based on local snow and ice conditions, despite the Government opting not to enforce a blanket national closure order.
Meanwhile, 22 flights – 11 departures and 11 arrivals – have been cancelled at Dublin Airport today so far.
Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.
This field is required
The airport’s authority, daa, said a number of UK airports have have been impacted by the freezing conditions, while snow in the greater London area lead to the closer of Stansted Airport overnight.
All passengers have once again been advised to check their flight status before travelling to Dublin Airport today. Over 200 flights have been cancelled since last Friday due to the extreme weather conditions.
We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.
Over 250,000 people are also expected to opt to work from home over the next 48 hours, given the likely disruption to transport caused by freezing fog, snow and ice.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien has pleaded with people to “keep safe and stay warm” as he stressed there was currently no likelihood of a Status Red snow and ice alert.
“We’re asking people to be careful and to be aware that the temperatures are to be cold. We might see temperatures of -10C over the next couple of days. We want to make sure people keep themselves warm and safe,” he said.
“There’s a positive update from Eirgrid and Gas Networks Ireland today that supply is stable. We have a detailed update from energy suppliers, there’s no risk to the energy supply. But people should keep themselves warm.”
Despite the Siberian-style weather, the Government vowed to keep schools open and transport services operational, where possible.
Mr O’Brien also moved to reassure people feeling threatened by fuel poverty that no-one will have their heating supplies cut off.
“That is a decision the Government has made – there is assistance there. If someone is in financial difficulty, there are mechanisms in the Department of Social Protection to assist them.”
Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Donegal and Mayo are predicted to be worst impacted by ice and snow.
Gerry Murphy from Met Éireann said while the temperatures did not fall as low as expected in some areas overnight, there will be no thaw today.
Mr Murphy said the lowest temperature recorded overnight was -7.2C at the Athenry weather station.
“Over the country in general between -1C and -5C. So, not that many places got below -5C, but nonetheless, between -1C and -5C is still a widespread severe frost,” he said.
“There's the widespread frost right across the country [this morning]. So, icy patches in places although roads, major roads especially, have been well gritted but on secondary roads great care is needed.
“There is widespread fog. The fog is quite dense right across the country. So, in addition to the frost, the fog has a slight mitigating factor on dropping some of those temperatures. That’s why some of them didn’t drop quite as low, but nonetheless, a very foggy, very frosty, very icy morning across the country in general.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Murphy said there are also some “wintry showers” across parts of the west and northwest this morning.
“The places that get to 4C [today], will be along the coast. So, for much of the country the temperatures will stay down around 0 or 1C, and that’s the way it’s going to continue really through much of the week. It’s a very cold week in store. Really, temperatures down close to zero and a very severe frost at night with fog on many of the nights, and then those wintry showers encroaching into some areas as well,” he added.
Mr Murphy said as the wind changes this evening, the wintry showers will affect eastern counties, before moving southwards towards Cork and Kerry tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Government agencies have moved to postpone or reschedule morning meetings given the likely commuting problems across Ireland while employers were urged to adopt remote working options where possible.
A number of attractions, including Brú na Bóinne and Newgrange, closed early on Sunday and will not reopen until after 11am today.
As many as one-in-ten of Dublin’s 520,000-strong workforce are now set to opt for remote working alternatives until the cold weather eases, with many roads expected to remain impassable.
Over 80 asylum seekers were being moved out of tented accommodation on the grounds of the Knockalisheen Direct Provision Centre in Co Clare yesterday and transferred to new locations, given the sub-zero temperatures.
“They will not be sleeping in emergency accommodation for the rest of this week. Colleagues in the Department of Children are looking at alternatives right now and that will happen,” Mr O’Brien said yesterday.
Close
11/12/22 Freezing conditions pictured in the Wicklow mountains. Pic Collins
/
He also confirmed that local authority outreach teams were on the ground helping rough sleepers to find a safe and warm place to stay.
Despite the Government insisting that schools will remain open following a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) yesterday, a significant number are expected to close for local safety reasons, the majority in Leinster and Connacht.
These could potentially range from school transport concerns to heating issues, burst water pipes and staff availability due to lengthy work commutes.
Many secondary roads – on which local school transport networks depend – will not be salted as primary routes are prioritised.
National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management official Keith Leonard said critical opening decisions were best taken at local level.
“The general view from today and the meeting which the Department of Education attended is that schools should remain open where possible,” he said.
Close
Freezing fog at Firhouse. Pic: Owen Breslin
/
“However, the principals and boards of management for schools will make local decisions based on local conditions.”
“Over the next week there is going to be a wide variety of conditions across the country so principals and school management will need to look at (local) conditions.”
“If it is necessary to close particular schools in particular locations that will be OK.”
The NECG will meet daily for the next week given ongoing concerns over the extended cold spell.
Met Éireann extended its Status Yellow low temperature/ice alert until next Friday, amid warnings that the wintry weather could extend well into next week.
Close
Horses graze in a snow covered field near Glencullen, Co Dublin on Sunday. Photo: Damien Storan.
/
The UK Met Office had already warned that temperatures there could plummet to as low as -12C last night as the freezing air mass hovers over northern Europe and extends as far south as northern Spain.
The National Ambulance Service (NAS) urged people to stay safe.
“Weather like this can also affect our response times so please be patient if one of our crews is coming to assist you,” a spokesperson said.
Met Éireann, gardaí and Road Safety Ireland warned that commuters will face challenging road conditions with freezing fog, ice and snow in some areas. Motorists have been urged to slow down and to drive with extreme caution.
All councils are working closely with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to ensure all major roads are treated. Salt supplies are reported to be more than adequate.
The icy -10C forecast is still some off the frigid -17.5C recorded in Mayo in December 2010. Ireland’s coldest ever winter temperature was the -19.1C recorded in Sligo in January 1881.
Independentie
A Mediahuis Website © Independent.ie
