AA Roadwatch has indicated that conditions are thawing, however care is still advised on some secondary routes, housing estates and icy footpaths. The Wicklow Gap and The Sally Gap remain impassable. The Conor Pass in Kerry remains closed to traffic due to icy conditions.
- The above animated chart shows the upper airmass temperatures for Europe during the period 11 Dec to 20 December 2010. The animation is based on the latest output from the ECM weather model (c) Meteociel. Air temperatures late next week are expected to be close to freezing while there will be severe night-time frosts. 850 hPa level is roughly at 1.5 km, usually above the atmospheric boundary layer. That means there is no diurnal temperature variation, and the underlying surface such as cool sea doesn't affect it's temperature. That is why 850 hpa temperature is used to distinguish air masses and thus to locate cold and warm fronts. MORE
- Article on Irish Weather Online in today's Irish Times. READ
- Accuweather forecaster Joe Bastardi is predicting that the cold spell will end around the Christmas period and that the weather will become much milder before the New Year. He said: “A break is coming a break is coming and not just some 3 day let up in the northwest. In the wake of what will be a severely cold period for much Europe through the 20th ( again the cold is coming back into the northwest in a few days, I see a chance for warmth in larger scale, one that could leave us with a break before there is any reloading, once we get to and beyond Christmas”.
- Weather Online in the UK today suggested: “We are closely watching Friday as bringing the potential for some severe wintry weather but will keep you informed over the coming days.” The Weather Outlook in the UK writes: “Later in the week things become very uncertain, with the potential for another spell of very wintry weather during the middle part of the month, and in the run up to Christmas. However, the computer models are showing inconsistencies, and some are hinting at the possibility of less cold weather.”
- Big Freeze claims third Mayo victim - Mayo Today .Gardai believe a man found dead outside his home near Swinford is the third Mayo person to have died as a result of the Arctic conditions. The body of John McCann, who was in his late 40s, was found lying in snow outside his home at Barnacoogue, Swinford, on Thursday afternoon.
- BUSY ICE HALO: In Stockholm, Sweden, the sun was only up for a little while Wednesday, but it made good use of its time. Sunbeams lanced through ice crystals in the air, producing a busy halo of surpassing beauty:
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| Image from spaceweather.com |
- The Ulster Club Football final has been switched from Clones to Breffni Park because of concerns about the state of the pitch at St Tiernach's Park.