WEATHER CHAOS:
snow brings delight and dismay:SUBZERO TEMPERATURES created travel disruptions for commuters and schoolchildren across the country yesterday. Gardaí warned motorists to exercise extreme caution in parts of the country, particularly in the Carlow and Kildare areas.
“Driving conditions are extremely hazardous and conditions are expected to deteriorate,” said a Garda spokesman.
“Motorists are asked to slow down and only make their journeys if absolutely necessary.”
Some roads in Meath were impassable and minor incidents were reported in Sligo and other counties.
Schools were reported to have shut down in counties Donegal, Carlow, Meath and Kilkenny because of the treacherous conditions.
Clonmel in Co Tipperary was another area which has experienced a severe weather episode, after heavy downpours caused the river Suir to burst its banks on Friday.
However, town clerk Billy Doyle reported the water had subsided and most roads were passable, except for a small section at the lower end of the quay. He said the Emergency Flood Response Committee was meeting regularly.
“I understand there’s some bad weather coming in, whether we get it or not I don’t know. All agencies are still on standby. A phone call will bring them back in,” he said.
Co Cork appeared to escape the worst of yesterday’s weather, although a car overturned amid icy conditions at Bride’s Bridge near Castlelyons at lunchtime.
The driver of the vehicle was not seriously injured. Ambulance crews, gardaí and the fire service attended the scene.
Motorists were asked to be aware of black ice in sections of Co Cork. Gardaí also advised motorists that the road between Rathcormac and Conna Village near O’Leary’s Cross was particularly treacherous yesterday. A number of roads in Cloghroe, Kerry Pike, Ballyvolane, White Gate and Midleton were gritted by the local council.
“Bring back the man with the shovel,” advised Cork Labour TD Seán Sherlock.
He was complaining about flooded and waterlogged roads in north Cork.
“There was a time when roads in rural areas were maintained on an ongoing basis by small crews that would go from one area to the next, making sure that drains were not clogged, removing the water from the surface and ensuring that roads were passable,” he said.
“Unfortunately the ‘man with the shovel’ is now a thing of the past and, as a result, the quality of local tertiary roads in rural areas is declining dramatically.”
Meanwhile, Met Éireann forecaster Joan Blackwell said the week ahead would remain cold, although drier conditions were expected towards Friday and Saturday.
She said top temperatures today would be in the region of one to five degrees.
There would be a bit of a thaw in some places but perhaps a further accumulation of snow on higher ground, where temperatures would remain at zero or a little below.
Tonight will be very cold with further wintry showers, mainly of rain and sleet, although snow will become less likely.
However, Met Éireann predicts a sharp to severe frost will develop, along with the risk of a few icy stretches.
It will remain bitterly cold for the rest of the week, with temperatures generally only reaching two to five degrees by day.
Temperatures may fall below zero across many areas after dark, with further sharp frosts and icy conditions expected.