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| Snow falling in Inchicore overnight. Pic Andy Riweg. |
Parts of the East and north West saw further heavy snowfall last night leading to treacherous driving conditions.
Gardai are warning motorists to that ice and snow are causing hazarddous road conditions nationwide. The worst affected areas are Dublin, Wicklow, Sligo, Mayo, Kildare, Waterford City and most parts of Ulster.
Up to 5cm of snow fell in some places last night with the capital experiencing one of its most significant snowfalls since 2001. Air temperatures dropped to minus 8-9C in inland places last night. At 8am, temperatures were stuck at -7c at Dublin Airport and Casement.
Road conditions are not expected to improve throughout the day while a number of main routes have been affected. The N15/Donegal/Ballybofey Rd is impassable at Barnesmore Gap due to treacherous road conditions while the Sally Gap and the Wicklow Gap are impassable. Meanwhile, freezing fog is hampering visibility in parts of Kildare. See MORE from AA Roadwatch.
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| Finglas, Dublin this morning. Pic Ian Carruthers |
According to iWeather Online long range forecaster Peter O’Donnell: “Today will be very cold with outbreaks of snow developing across eastern counties during the morning. There will be scattered flurries further west and north but some sunny breaks here too. The snow may become heavy at times, and will move across Ireland in a sporadic fashion with some places getting 3-6 cms, others much less. Winds will not be too strong today and will be variable in direction, although a northeast trend will develop later. Highs could be as low as -2 C in some parts, and no higher than +2 C for most.”
He added: “Tonight will be very cold with some clear areas dropping to -8 C or lower. There will be freezing fog and icy roads while snow will continue along the east coast and later moving inland. The earlier snow will die out towards the west coast.”
Peter O’Donnell’s long range forecast can be found HERE