Another night of sub-zero temperatures is expected on Thursday as a near week-long cold snap continues to cause disruption in many parts of the country.
An orange warning for low temperatures and ice for all counties in the State except Donegal was due to expire at 11am on Thursday, although Met Éireann was again forecasting a bitterly cold night ahead. Lowest temperatures will range between -2 and -7 generally, coldest earlier in the night, with severe frost and freezing fog expected.
[ Live updates: -7.5 temperature recorded amid warning for severe frost and iceOpens in new window ]
Authorities on Wednesday continued to appeal to the public to take precautions amid hazardous driving conditions across the country. A nationwide yellow weather warning for low temperatures and ice will be in place until at least Friday morning, with falls of sleet and snow possible in parts of the country that morning.
In Dublin, there was a full attendance at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition on Wednesday despite snow and icy conditions in parts of the country. A spokeswoman for the exhibition, Mari Cahalane, confirmed the full attendance, and said some students had to be towed by tractor from their homes before making their way to the RDS.
Man (50s) arrested at Dublin’s Connolly station after carrying shotgun on train
Weather Ireland: Orange warning in effect with more sub-zero temperatures expected on Thursday night
John McManus: WRC ruling is final nail in coffin of the right to remote working
The Big Snow of 1982: When Ireland came to a standstill
Efforts by ESB Networks and Uisce Éireann to restore electricity and water supply to areas most impacted by the weather continued on Wednesday. Approximately 2,000 homes, farms and businesses in counties Limerick, Kerry and Cork remained without electricity by 5pm. Some 500 of those customers were expected to be without supply overnight, an ESB Networks spokesman said, with reconnection efforts due to begin again at first light on Thursday.
ESB Networks arranged for phone charging facilities and hot meals at local hotels in some of the worst affected areas of the country on Wednesday. The ESB contacted cut-off customers in Tipperary and Limerick directly to avail of the services.
The services were provided at Longcourt Hotel, Newcastle West; Leens Hotel, Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick; Charleville Park Hotel, Charleville, Co Cork; and the Horse and Jockey Hotel, Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co Tipperary.
The services will be available on Thursday again. “We would like to remind customers to only travel if it is safe to do so,” an ESB spokesman said.
About 4,500 people were without water by Wednesday afternoon, according to Uisce Éireann, with a majority of affected customers in Co Tipperary. The authority said it was working with ESB crews and Tipperary County Council to respond to outages at local treatment plants and burst pipes on the network in the county.
Speaking to RTÉ's Six One News, Keith Leonard, director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, said that “hopefully” power and water supplies will be restored to “nearly all places” by Thursday.
He also said he believed the country’s emergency services and local authorities were well prepared for the cold weather.
“I think the key part of it was our early response, and particularly our local authorities activating those severe weather plans really back as far as last Friday, helped us to get ahead of this piece,” he said. “Transport Infrastructure Ireland, our Defence Forces, our local authorities, our National Transport Authority, really did a huge job to try to keep things moving throughout this cold spell, but in particular it was the voluntary emergency services as well, and the community volunteers and even IFA [Irish Farmers’ Association] who were involved.”
Meanwhile, Marie Casey, principal at Boherbue National School in north Cork, said on Wednesday that Met Éireann should not be afraid to issue red weather warnings even if they get it wrong as it would mean people would take more heed and prepare better. Ms Casey’s school has been closed since the beginning of the week due to snow and ice.
She said was left with no choice on Sunday but to inform the parents of the 200 pupils attending the school that they would not be reopening on Monday because of the heavy snow falls.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
