The bitterly cold and windy weather which hit many parts of Ireland and England yesterday, with sleet and snow showers in many places, is expected to continue today. Today will remain windy, but there will also be sunny spells and showers.
"There is going to be little change," said a Met Eireann spokeswoman. "It is going to be bitterly cold and there will be further showers of hail and snow, particularly in Connacht and Ulster. While it will also be very cold in the east and south, there will be a little sunshine too."
Three people were killed in England after a tree fell on two cars on the A435 Alcester Road South in Birmingham.
Here, some 4,000 homes in the north-west were without electricity early yesterday morning after winds overnight reached 70 miles an hour. A number of ESB crews worked through to night to locate faults and begin repairs and all but a few homes had their supply restored by early afternoon.
An ESB spokesman said the damage, caused mainly by falling trees and problems with electrical conductors, was not nearly on the scale of that experienced last Christmas when 85,000 homes lost supply.
The worst hit areas were Kinlough, Co Leitrim, and Blacklion, Co Cavan, the Inishowen peninsula and areas around Ballybofey and Letterkenny in Co Donegal, parts of Sligo town and Killala in north Mayo.
There was also flooding in some parts, especially in the north Galway areas of Head ford and Caherlistrane, a few miles from Tuam.
The strong winds and heavy rain also made driving conditions difficult and the Automobile Association warned motorists to take extra care.
Met Eireann said the storms of Thursday night had given way to bitterly cold weather yesterday, with heavy showers of sleet and snow in many places. The highest gust of 70 m.p.h. was recorded at Belmullet, Co Mayo. The coldest place in the State yesterday was Knock, Co Mayo.