Sub-zero temperatures are again forecast for tonight.
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Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said the demand for water across the country has decreased, however supply remains at a very low level.
Conservation remains the key issue and he said he could not overstate the need for the public not to run their taps.
He told this morning's Government's emergency co-ordination meeting that the demand in the greater Dublin area had reduced by 80m litres over the past few days, but demand still remains too high.
He said that 1,500 remain without water in Cork City, with other parts of the country experiencing similar difficulties.
The minister said storm force winds and spot flooding was causing difficulties in the southwest, which is also affected by electricity problems. ESB crews are working to restore power to 2,000 customers.
Minister Gormley added that while he had anticipated the emergency committee concluding its business today, he now believed it should continue its work due to the unpredictable weather pattern.
Meanwhile, gardaí are advising motorists to exercise caution on the roads because of adverse weather conditions.
Some roads have been closed because of flooding, while others remain icy. Many roads throughout Cork are affected by ice and flooding. (Detailed information here)
Bus Éireann says the majority of its services are operating as normal.
Some services in Cork city and county were diverted yesterday because of flooding and are likely to be affected again today.
Met Éireann says temperatures tonight are expected to fall to -3C with sharp to severe frost.
Many schools in the midlands have re-opened but a significant number have changed their plans and stayed closed this morning creating considerable confusion for parents.
Flight cancellations
A number of flights were cancelled because of bad weather in Britain.
Flights into and out of London Gatwick, Birmingham and Cardiff airports were halted this morning due to snow.
The Dublin Airport Authority says there are knock-on effects to the schedule in Ireland. Aer Lingus cancelled a number of flights, including one to Cardiff, one to Birmingham and two to Heathrow, which is still open.
The airline also cancelled its early morning Paris to Dublin return flight because of a strike by air traffic controllers in France.
Labour Party Tommy Broughan has called on Noel Dempsey to step down as Minister for Transport over his handling of the weather crisis.
Deputy Broughan said the minister should not have left the country when he did and said that the Government was absent for three weeks.
He was addressing the Oireachtas Transport Committee.
The Labour transport spokesman also said the chair of the committee, Fianna Fáil's Frank Fahey, should stand down for not convening an emergency meeting to debate the response to the freezing temperatures.
Deputy Fahey rejected the charge and said he never refused to hold such a meeting. He said there was no problem in arranging a hearing.
