Well known forecaster Joe Bastardi of Accuweather (pictured left) has joined in the chorus of medium to long range forecasters warning of a ‘reload’ of cold air over Ireland and the UK.
- (From accuweather.com website): PREPARATION FOR RENEWAL OF EXTREME COLD FROM FRANCE TO SCANDINAVIA AND WEST THROUGH THE UK SHOULD BE MADE - I am hopeful ( prayerful) that the coming cold wave that will follow what thaw there is in the northwest will have the populace prepared….the coming cold, in the wake of the stress that has already been put on the populace of the northwest part of Europe, is nothing to joke about. The current cold will shift southeast for a while, before the re-establishment of the cold pool back where it was the past 2 weeks. This will allow for people to have a few days of milder weather in the UK and Ireland. Germany is liable to take the brunt of the whole thing, for while there is a few days of warming in the northwest, the cold shifting southeast centers over them and when it reloads a bit further west it is over them.
- The Press Association in the UK reports that Britain is set for a brief respite from the worst December weather in 29 years before temperatures plunge again for the rest of the month. As the country battles with icy roads and disrupted trains and flights, forecasters said the UK will start to thaw on Thursday, with the mercury almost reaching double figures in some parts. But bitter winds are expected to return by the start of next week, and bookmakers have slashed the odds on a white Christmas.
- John Hammond from the Met Office said: "December has got off to a very cold start. The last time we saw prolonged cold weather in December with such low temperatures and this amount of snow fall was 1981. "Next week the north easterly winds will bring in the cold weather once more with an increasing risk of snow showers, especially in northern and eastern parts of the UK. It's going to stay cold for much of the rest of the month with widespread risk of ice, frost and snow showers."
- Temperatures at 9.45am: Ennis -0.9c, Killarney -5.9c, Clonmel -4.5c, Limerick -4.9c, Loughrea +2.6c, Enniscorthy -6.4c, Belfast -1.7c. Dublin temps: Saggart -0.1c, Casement 0c, Earlscliffe 0.7c, Airport -1c, Artane -0.1c, Tallaght +0.1c, Blanchardstown -1c. Cork temps: Cobh +0.6c, Sherkin Island +1c, Ballinascarthy -1.8c, Cork City 2.3c, Macroom -2.3c, Midleton -1.3c, Fermoy -4c
- Following three road fatalities over the past 24 hours, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána have issued a joint appeal, today to road-users to be extremely careful on the roads. Despite a forecast for an improvement in the weather conditions nationwide, the roads continue to be treacherous in most parts of the country.
- Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann are operating full services, some curtailments on some routes
- Music and DVD retailer HMV Group said its first-half loss widened on lower demand in UK and Ireland stores, with the severe winter weather keeping shoppers at home. MORE
- To view some school closures: www.schooldays.ie