Met Éireann has issued a fresh Status Orange low temperature and ice warning for 13 counties, with parts of the country already recording temperatures as low as -7 degrees overnight in Athenry and Mullingar.
The new warning, effective from 7pm tonight until 8am tomorrow, covers Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Roscommon, and Tipperary. Met Éireann warns of extremely cold conditions with widespread severe frost, ice, lying snow, and patches of freezing fog.
The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) has urged people to treat all roads as treacherous due to widespread black ice, advising against non-essential travel. Cork County Council reported “significant challenges” in north and north-west Cork, deploying Defence Forces and external contractors to help manage the situation.
Met Éireann meteorologist Matthew Martin indicated the cold snap should begin easing from tomorrow, though Keith Leonard of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management warned conditions will remain “very difficult” until Friday afternoon.
According to The Journal, the severe weather continues to impact essential services, with approximately 500 properties without power as of last night. ESB crews are working to restore connections at first light. Meanwhile, homeless services have intensified their operations to protect vulnerable people during what they describe as a “life and death situation.”
In Northern Ireland, Yellow warnings for fog and snow/ice remain in place for several counties until later this morning.