Snow, ice and heavy rain are set to sweep over Ireland this weekend with two distinct status orange weather alerts issued for a combined total of 10 counties from Saturday afternoon.
Met Éireann is forecasting sub-zero temperatures and “very disruptive and impactful” weather conditions with significant accumulations of snowfall in some parts of the country. There is also a risk of school closures in some areas on Monday.
A 24-hour orange snow and ice warning comes into effect from 5pm on Saturday for Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary with the national forecaster warning of “significant snowfall accumulations”.
A separate orange rain and snow warning for Cork and Kerry for the same 24-hour period has also been issued with “heavy rain transitioning to sleet and snow”.
The cold snap will lead to very difficult travelling conditions, poor visibility, and delays to public transport with difficult conditions underfoot and animal welfare issues during the big freeze Met Éireann said.
Status yellow weather warnings have been issued for all but two counties – Fermanagh and Armagh – with less snow forecast although it will still have an impact.
The most significant snowfall accumulations are likely across parts of Munster and south Leinster as heavy rain transitions to sleet and snow on Saturday evening, continuing right through to Sunday. Accumulations of 5cm or more are being forecast in 24 hours.
Met Éireann’s deputy head of forecasting Liz Coleman urged people, particularly those returning home from Christmas breaks to “take heed of the warnings and plan in advance as there will be some really tricky driving conditions out there for a near 24 hour period”.
She said temperatures would climb marginally and briefly as the weekend continues but cold Arctic air “will return on Sunday evening and stay with us right out into next week”.
She warned that it would be “bitterly cold next week with some lying snow, widespread severe frost and ice and scattered wintry showers. There could be further complications with freezing fog at times, so we ask people to stay in contact with the weather forecasts and be prepared.”
People have also been urged to look out for vulnerable people in the community as emergency services prepare for a “high degree” of snowfall over the coming 48 hours.
The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) said there will be “severe” cold weather over the weekend.
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Keith Leonard, national director of the NDFEM, said whether schools will close on Monday was currently a “local decision based on the local conditions by the school management”.
“We’ll obviously keep an eye on things over the weekend,” he told RTÉ radio 1′s News at One on Friday. “We’re meeting again tomorrow and on Sunday, and we’ll see how things pan out. But for the time being, that’s a local decision.”
Mr Leonard said local authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland have 160,000 tonnes of salt available and all national primary routes and secondary routes would likely be treated twice a day over the weekend and into next week.
“There’s going to be a very strong response,” he added, with all the relevant agencies putting contingency plans in place.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has urged all road users to “be prepared, exercise caution and stay informed”.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) said that along with its total capacity of 192 permanent beds for rough sleepers, it can activate 82 additional beds when a weather warning is triggered.
“There is emergency accommodation available through the four Dublin Local Authorities, and the DRHE along with our outreach providers will continue to monitor the weather and likely changes to weather warnings over the coming days and activate extreme weather emergency accommodation as required,” a spokeswoman said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Integration said it has activated a cold weather response plan, with particular focus on asylum sleepers who are without accommodation and rough sleeping, or on tented accommodation sites.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland said that it was monitoring the weather “constantly” and liaising with Met Éireann.