• Dublin Airport suspends flights until 8am tomorrow.
• Cork, Shannon and Knock airports open
• Dublin Bus warning of curtailments and delays. Services ended at 10pm. No Nitelink services.
• Full service on Intercity, DART and Irish Rail commuter routes. Full service on Luas Red and Green lines
• Sub-zero temperatures forecast today and snow showers
• View today's gallery of snow pictures
2305 That's it from us tonight on RTÉ.ie. We'll be back again at 6am tomorrow morning. However, there will be hourly updates on RTÉ Radio. Take care on the roads if you have to venture out overnight.
2255 AA Roadwatch says that traffic disruption has eased in Dublin. However, there are some delays on the N4 inbound at Chapelizod. It is also busy outbound approaching the M50 on the N4.
2240 Heathrow Airport update: 'Both runways are open and we're continuing to fly people out tonight to help them reach their final destination.'
2215 Aer Lingus has hired larger planes to give it greater capacity on its routes tomorrow, weather permitting. The airline also has extra slots for some of its routes.
2210 If you have just got home from an epic commute, you can watch tonight's news bulletins here
2140 Irish Rail says that are delays to evening Dublin/Rosslare services in each direction because of points problems at Arklow.
2130 British Airways says it aims to operate the vast majority of flights from Heathrow on Thursday, but it said 'it will take some days to return to normal'.
2101 Bus Éireann commuter services in the Greater Dublin area ended at 9pm tonight.
2047 Dublin Airport on Twitter: 'Ryanair has advised us that only passengers with a confirmed booking for flights after 8am should come to the airport tomorrow. Ryanair asks other passengers to use its website to rebook flights.'
2030 The Dublin Airport Authority has said that taxi drivers travelling to the airport tonight do not need a special permit.
The DAA wishes to thank all the drivers who responded to its appeal earlier this evening. The backlog of people who had been stranded at the airport has now been cleared.
2025 Gardaí and AA Roadwatch say long delays are continuing tonight in Dublin on the N4 outbound.
2015 There are reports that traffic is still very heavy on the M50 northbound in Dublin between the Red Cow and Blanchardstown.
2005 Luas will accept all valid Dublin Bus tickets. There are full services on both the Green and Red Lines.
1955 AA Roadwatch says motorists should avoid the N4 and N7 as there are extremely long delays. 'Icy conditions on most routes and extra care is needed'.
1930 The ESB says all power has been restored to customers in Arklow after an earlier power outage.
1910 Flights at Dublin Airport have been suspended until 8am tomorrow morning at the earliest.
The DAA said 'persistent heavy snowfalls since 12.30 today resulted in more than 15cm of snow at the airport.
'Passengers intending to travel from Dublin Airport tomorrow should consult their airline's website BEFORE making the journey to the airport.'
1850 Bus Éireann has said that commuter services in the Greater Dublin Area will not operate after 9pm tonight.
1827 The NRA has informed us that the new section of the M7 will, in fact, open as previous planned tomorrow, without the ceremony though.
1800 The Dublin Airport Authority has asked taxi drivers to come to the airport as there are hundreds of people needing taxis.
1757 Slyvia Rafferty has emailed in to say that 'the M1 is at a standstill. There is a huge accident at the exit for Balbriggan and traffic is not moving at all.'
1750 Ferry companies are experiencing a 'significant' increase in passenger numbers because of flight disruption. Irish Ferries and Stena Line still have availability on ferries today, tomorrow, and Christmas Eve.
Celtic Link also has availability tonight and is postponing its service from Rosslare to Cherbourg by one hour to facilitate more passengers. The ferry will now sail at 22.30 instead of 21.30.
1744 Irish Rail Twitter update: 'Departing trains, generally 10-30 mins late to/from Heuston, 10-40 mins late through Connolly. 1650 Conn-Belfast 60 mins late.'
1741 AA Roadwatch says Knockmaroon Hill in Dublin is impassable.
1737 Roads in west Donegal, especially secondary routes and back roads, are becoming dangerous as the snow is freezing over, especially in the Gweedore and Rosses areas.
Care is advised on all routes, as many have not been gritted tonight.
1728 Heathrow Airport says both runways are now open, but it has urged passengers not to travel to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking.
1725 Twitter update from Irish Rail: Dublin stations are very busy. All trains are operating with delays and commuters should be patient.
1720 Inspector John Ferris of the Garda Press Office has told RTE's Drivetime programme that freezing fog is a problem for motorists in Donegal.
1717 There have been several minor accidents on the M7 in Portlaoise due to motorists driving on the fast lane and losing control of their cars.
1710 Our South-East Correspondent reporting that the entire town of Arklow was hit with an electricity blackout at around 5pm.
1704 Ryanair and Aer Arann have also cancelled all remaining flights out of Dublin Airport this evening.
1701 The planned opening of the final section of the M7 between Castletown in Co Laois and Nenagh in Co Tipperary, which was due to take place tomorrow morning, has now been cancelled becasue of the continuing bad weather.
1653 GoBus Galway has cancelled its 17.15 service from Dublin
1648 Dublin Bus will operate all last buses at 10pm tonight from both the city centre and the suburbs.
1640 AA Roadwatch Twitter update: In West Cork heavy snowfall in Skibereen. Icy patches around Mallow town and on less travelled routes.
In Dublin, traffic is now slow on the M50 northbound. Particular problems are reported at Junction 13 in Dundrum. Delays are also reported at Junction 10.
1635 Iarnród Éireann tweeted eight minutes ago that the 1520 Connolly to Belfast train is departing 60 mins late - due to a mechanical fault.
1629 Our reporter in Belfast says a number of fights due to land at Dublin Airport have been diverted to Belfast International
These include flights from Edinburgh, Amsterdam and Vilnius.
1625 Aer Lingus has cancelled all remaining flights out of Dublin Airport this evening. It said it will try to get home its passengers checked in at other airports if the runway at Dublin is reopened.
1623 Fossett's Circus has cancelled all performances of its 2010 Christmas Circus at Pavilions Shopping Centre in Swords until 27December.
1618 Met Éireann has issued a severe weather warning: Continuing extremely cold countrywide with sub-zero temperatures and very severe frost, ice and freezing fog.
Further heavy snow showers in counties of Leinster, especially the coastal counties through the rest of today, tonight and into tomorrow. A continuing risk of thunder, though showers may be less intense tomorrow.
Further snow falls of 5cm to 10cm expected in places. Snow showers in parts of Clare, west Limerick, Kerry and Cork will clear southwards later this afternoon and evening. Scattered snow showers at times also on the north and northwest coast.
1615 Cork City Council offers the following advice to stop your pipes freezing:
Leave heating on longer than normal.
Open Attic trap door to allow heat in.
Leave a light on in the attic.
Place a piece of insulation eg carpet/matting over your external stopcock.
Wrap a towel around an outside tap.
1610 Bus Éireann update: 'Customers travelling on commuter services from Dundalk and Drogheda to Dublin are advised to travel before 6pm.
Customers travelling on commuter services from Dublin to Dundalk and Drogheda are advised to travel before 8pm as services may not operate beyond those times.
Services between Dublin-Rosslare will operate to Arklow and Gorey only at 16.30 and18.30. All other services between Dublin-Rosslare are cancelled for remainder of the day.
Dublin-Waterford via New Ross departures from Dublin at 1600 and 1800 are cancelled.
Due to heavy snowfall today, services in Kerry will be curtailed this evening and many will not operate after 16.30/17.30.
Some Cork city services in hilly areas on the northside and southside are disrupted, as are some services in county Cork.'
1605 A number of flights due to land at Dublin Airport earlier today have been diverted to Shannon Airport, which remains open and operational.
1603 Limerick County Council has issued a public water boil notice to customers served by the Abbeyfeale Water Scheme over fears that that the drinking water may be contaminated.
1600 As road conditions get 'worser' in Dublin, it is a job for one man.
(RTÉ is not responsible for content published on external websites)
1555 Dublin Bus has said that Nitelink services will not operate tonight.
1552 Dún Laoghaire Country Council has said there will be severe restrictions to water services tonight. The water will be off around Monkstown and Sallynoggin, with pressure reductions elsewhere.
1548 Dublin Airport on Twitter: Flight operations have been suspended until 20.00. We are working to clear the snow as quickly as possible.
1540 South Dublin County Council on Twitter: Slippery conditions at Red Cow interchange causing problems for trucks.
1535 Knock Airport says it is experiencing disruptions to its flight schedules due to snow and freezing fog.
1520 AA Roadwatch said that many roads in the east, southeast, southwest and northwest of the country are dangerous, particularly secondary routes.
Conditions in Dublin are said to be dangerous, particularly on the southside of the city and gardaí have advised those planning to drive to use public transport instead.
1500 At Dublin Airport, passengers whose flights have been cancelled are being asked to leave the building because of what the airport authority has described as severe congestion.
1441 Airport Summary:
Flights to and from Dublin Airport remain suspended until at least 5pm.
Cork and Shannon airports are fully operational, but with some flight delays.
Ireland West Airport in Knock says a number of flights have been cancelled or diverted to other airports, including Shannon.
The regional airports in Kerry, Galway, Sligo, Donegal and Waterford are open, but some flights are delayed.
1426 IrishRail on Twitter: Customers for 15.25 Heuston to Limerick will be accommodated on 16.00 Heuston to Cork, with connection at Limerick Jn
1425 City of Derry Airport is currently closed because of freezing fog. Flights may be subject to delay, diversion or cancellations depending on how long the fog persists.
1414 IrishRail on Twitter: More snow in Dublin: all trains running on all routes. Expect delays as we clear snow & ice from points, pls be patient, we'll get you there
1407 The Road Safety Authority is urging drivers intending to travel home for Christmas to consider using public transport, driving in daylight and car pooling in order to get home safely.
1406 AA Roadwatch reports that conditions in Dublin are deteriorating. A truck is broken down outbound in the left lane on Long Mile Road. See www.aaroadwatch.ie for more.
1359 A shipment of salt from Turkey is due to arrive into Cork Harbour at the city's South Jetties in two days time.
The MV CFL Prospect is due to tie up at 7.30am with a cargo of 6,300 tonnes of salt for the National Roads Authority.
Unloading will begin shortly after 8am onto 100 trucks expected quayside to help deliver the salt around the country.
Three further shipments of salt are expected over the Christmas period bringing it to 15,000 tonnes of salt through the Port of Cork.
1327 Britain's Met Office warns that temperatures could drop as low as -20C in parts of Northern Ireland tonight.
It follows a record-breaking temperature of -18C at Castlederg, Co Tyrone, on Sunday night.
1305 Wexford Bus on Twitter: Unfortunately the 13.30 ex Wexford to Dublin Airport and city has been cancelled. The only guaranteed services from Dublin today will be the 12.30 and 14.30 ex Dublin Airport. Apologies for any inconvenience caused to passengers. We will keep you updated throughout the day if later services will be operating.
1250 UCD Announcement: All examinations scheduled from 6.00pm on Tuesday 21 December and all exam sessions on Wednesday 22 December postponed
1242 IrishRail on Twitter: Significant delays to trains from Drogheda due to mechanical fault at Laytown
1240 Statement from Dublin Airport:
Flight operations have been suspended at Dublin Airport.
Our snow and ice teams are working to clear the runway, taxiways and associated apron areas as quickly as possible.
Flight operations are expected to resume at approx 17.00 - subject to favourable weather conditions.
Passengers are advised to consult with their airline or airline's website BEFORE travelling to the airport this evening.
1232 DUBLIN AIRPORT SUSPENDS OPERATIONS UNTIL 5PM
1225 Soldiers based in Finner Camp in Donegal are clearing snow in five towns in the county today - Letterkenny, Bundoran, Glenties, Milford, Carndonagh and Bundoran.
The members of the 28th Infantry Battalion will move to another five towns tomorrow to maximise the help they can give to the local authorities.
They are also working with the HSE today in Falcarragh, Dunfanaghy, Creeslough, Meenaclady, Annagry and Dunloe, and are bringing two patients from Ballaghaderreen in Co Roscommon to Sligo General Hospital for dialysis.
1222 NowDoc services in west Donegal have reported a busy few days with cold weather hampering efforts to reach patients.
Yesterday the service was used to transport an ill patient from the Rosses to a waiting ambulance to be transferred to Letterkenny hospital.
A driver for the service said that the roads they have travelled are very dangerous due to fresh snowfall last night.
1220 Ballina and Castlebar are among the worst affected areas in the west, where roads are hazardous but passable.
The N59 Westport to Clifden Road is treacherous.
1215 Dublin Airport has suspended flight operations from 12.15 until 12.35 to allow for the runway to be sprayed with de-icer.
1208 AFP are reporting that The European Commission has blasted the 'unacceptable' travel chaos caused by heavy snowfalls this week and summoned airport officials to a meeting.
'I am extremely concerned about the level of disruption to travel across Europe caused by severe snow. It is unacceptable and should not happen again,' European transport commissioner Siim Kallas said in a statement.
Kallas said he would convene a meeting with airport officials in the coming days to ask for more explanations and 'take a hard look' at what is needed to ensure they can operate more effectively during extreme weather in the future.
'Airports must get serious about planning for this kind of severe weather conditions,' he said.
1207 Here's the latest situation with Dublin Bus curtailments
1200 A few more pictures in today's gallery now.
Thanks again for all the photos you've been sending in, and apologies that we can't use everything - there are just so many!
A few tips to improve your chances of getting your pictures included:
If you include the location and a (very) brief description in the subject line it is easier for us to sort through the hundreds and hundreds of emails we're getting every day.
Example: Cows trying to graze, Westmeath.
We're trying to get a mix from all around the country, but we're receiving far more pictures of Dublin than anywhere else.
Our pictures have to be in a ratio of 16:9. Portrait pictures just won't work with our gallery dimensions.
We've got some really great pictures that just won't crop to fit our gallery.
Choose your best picture and send it in - emails with multiple pictures take much longer to process.
Try to keep the filesize around 1-2MB - any bigger and it's slower to open, any smaller and it may not look great on the site.
1153 Ireland West Airport Knock advise passengers that the airport is experiencing disruptions to its flight schedules.
The following flights have been affected:
- FR 8142 from London Luton to Ireland West Airport Knock has been diverted to Dublin Airport.
- FR 8143 from Ireland West Airport Knock to London Luton has been cancelled.
1149 On Twitter, LiveDrive reports that 'Gardaí are staggering entry to the M50 SB to N7 outbound off-ramp so cars can get a run at the hill.'
1128 Heavy snowfalls across the southeast have caused major delays on some roads in the region with some areas totally impassable.
Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford Co Councils are advising motorists to only make journeys that are absolutely necessary.
If travelling, extreme caution is needed.
All councils are clearing roads where possible with priority given to national routes and motorways.
Some main roads in Co Wexford and Co Wicklow are only passable with extreme care.
It has been snowing heavily in Gorey, Enniscorthy and Bunclody this morning, and Met Éireann says further snow falls are expected in Carlow and Kilkenny this afternoon.
1120 Fresh snow in many parts of Mayo overnight has left roads in a very hazardous condition this morning.
Ballina has been the worst hit area, where 20cm of snow has fallen since the early hours.
Gardaí say the town is practically closed to traffic, as vehicles cannot get up Barrett Street.
In Westport, gardaí say roads are treacherous as it is snowing heavily.
In the Castlebar area, all roads are passable but with caution.
Claremorris gardaí say road conditions are much the same as yesterday, but there has been some extra snowfall overnight.
1108 Fuel tankers have now reached petrol stations in the North West.
1107 Our colleague's train has arrived. His comments are unfortunately not suitable for publication.
11.00 Here's the latest weather forecast from Met Éireann:
Extremely cold this afternoon with patches of freezing fog. Heavy and prolonged snow showers over west and south Munster and many parts of Leinster, with a risk of thunder. Just scattered snow showers elsewhere but frost and ice persisting. Bitterly cold with highest temperatures only between -7 and -2C.
Further snow showers over Leinster tonight and also near the north coast. Mostly dry elsewhere. Extremely cold again with widespread frost, freezing fog and ice. Lowest temperatures of -6 to -14C.
Frost will persist through Wednesday and freezing fog will linger in some areas. Many areas will be dry, but snow showers will continue to affect the north and northwest coasts and parts of east Leinster. Very cold again with daytime temperatures between -5 and 0C.
1045 IrishRail on Twitter: Clearing points in Connolly after heavy snowfall, delays resulting.
1040 A colleague is on his way to Dublin from Sligo, and has just been told that his train will be delayed 'indefinitely'.
He says he's stuck in Connolly Station. We've told him to start walking.
0956 Bad weather has forced the cancellation of a trip to Lapland for over 100 terminally ill children from Northern Ireland who had been hoping to meet Santa there.
The Northern Ireland Children to Lapland Trust decided to call off today's trip to the Arctic Circle because of transport difficulties.
The charity had raised over £100,000 for the trip. The group says it has rearranged the visit for the spring.
0945 Ireland West Airport Knock is open and fully operational.
Over 2,000 passengers are due to travel through the airport today.
0941 And now for the severe weather alert update - Valid from 0800 to 2400 today
Continuing extremely cold in all areas with severe frost, ice and fog patches.
Heavy snow showers in Munster, Connacht and Leinster today. Amounts of 4-8cm generally, but 8-12cm possible in west Munster and east Leinster.
Risk of thunder in east Leinster. Scattered snow showers in north and west Ulster also. Up to 3cm possible.
0935 There was fresh snow overnight in Sligo.
Roads in the town and county have been treated, but drivers are being asked to take care on all roads and on the N59 in the Enniscrone/Corballa area in particular.
0934 A number of filling stations in west Donegal are rationing diesel and petrol because tankers have not been able to get to them with new supplies.
In Gweedore and Gortahork, customers can only buy €20 worth of fuel.
Heavy vehicles are having difficulty negotiating roads to the Gaeltacht area and the back of Errigal road from Letterkenny has been closed because of dangerous conditions.
Snow fell in the area for several hours from yesterday evening and many schools remain closed today.
0920 Back by popular demand - a few photos in today's gallery.
We'll add more over the course of the day.
0915 City of Derry Airport is open and operational. However, this morning's flights to and from Dublin have been cancelled due to weather in Dublin.
0851 IrishRail on Twitter: Update - services operating across network with some delays- 10-30 mins generally in DART/Commuter. 07.30 Heuston-Galway 50 mins.
0849 Met Éireann says the lowest overnight temperature was recorded in Ballyhaisein, Co Cavan, at -14.4C.
0842 Ireland West Airport Knock wishes to advise passengers that due to the adverse weather conditions both in the UK and Ireland that there maybe disruption to todays flight schedule.
However Ireland West Airport Knock is currently open and fully operational.
0840 RTÉ's Will Goodbody reports that Wicklow had heavy snowfall overnight. 6-7cm fell in coastal areas and snow is still falling .
0839 It is currently snowing in Kilkee, Co Clare, and the roads in and around the town are extremely dangerous, gardaí say.
0836 Bus Éireann Update from 0730
Road passenger services currently affected by weather and road conditions include some services in the east:
Dublin/Derry – 10am departure from Dublin cancelled
Cavan/Athboy – Operating between Cavan/Granard only
Edenderry/Tullamore – Operating with delays; not serving Croghan or Rhode
Wicklow-Dublin – some disruption to departures
Drogheda/Donore – Cancelled
Dundalk Carrickmacross – Not serving Inniskeen. Cavan service cancelled
Dundalk/Annagassan – Cancelled.
Monaghan/Cavan – Cancelled.
Drogheda/Clogher – Cancelled.
Drogheda/Laytown – Cancelled.
Balbriggan Town Service – Cancelled.
Drogheda Town Services – Cancelled.
Dundalk Town Services – Not serving Marian Park or Coxes
0830 Gardaí in Kerry say the main roads in the county are fine but again there are continuing difficulties with rural and secondary routes.
The County's Manager Tom Curran is reported today as saying that he wants to regain control of salt supplies from the National Roads Authority and organise its own supplies in 2011, because over this cold spell they had little or no control over where and when it could obtain supplies.
He told Kerry County Council that he was not at all happy with salt supplies under the NRA and they would look to ways of obtaining their own salt supplies in future.
0824 The south of the country once again escaped any snow showers overnight but roads remain dangerous in many places with compacted ice and snow.
Cork Airport is open where the current temperature is said to be -6C. It's also -6C at Valentia in south Kerry where the weather is said to be fair.
Hilly parts of Cork City remain dangerous especially around the Rochestown Road and on the city's northside, however city bus services are running.
Gardaí at Fermoy say sections of the M8 at Watergrasshill remain very dangerous and motorists should drive with care.
0814 Wicklow had heavy snowfall overnight. Some 6-7cm snow fell in coastal areas and snow is still falling.
0813 It's snowing in Kilkee, Co Clare. Roads in and around the town are said to be extremely dangerous.
0811 Iarnród Éireann M3 Parkway trains will continue to run to/from Connolly instead of Docklands.
0810 AA Roadwatch West Dublin Summary Report
Icy conditions reported both ways on the N7/Naas Rd from J3 Citywest and the Red Cow.
Traffic lights are out of action on the junction of the N7/Naas Rd and Longmile Rd Jct.
0804 AA Roadwatch Southside Dublin Summary Report
Care is needed on Grange Rd in Rathfarnham and cars are getting stuck on the Hermitage Rd.
Very slow moving traffic on the N81/Templeogue Rd due to very icy conditions.
Conditions are very bad in Blackrock, particularly on the Rock Rd at the Booterstown Ave, and on Frascati Rd.
Extremely icy at Dundrum & Milltown. Avoid Lower Churchtown Road Hill. Sandyford Road is almost impassable coming from Dundrum.
Road conditions are extremely poor on N11/Stillorgan Rd between Fosters Ave and Goatstown. Icy on Newtownpark Ave with motorists finding it difficult to negotiate the incline approaching the N11.
Gardai say Kill Lane is extremely dangerous and should be avoided. Beaumont Ave and Mount Annville Rd should be avoided. Avoid Glenageary Road Lower.
Road conditions around Glenageary and Dún Laoghaire are poor.
Gardai in Dalkey say motorists should not travel in the area unless necessary. Slippery around Killiney, Ballybrack, Shankill and Cabinteely.
Gardai are asking motorists to avoid Wyatville Rd and Strathmore Rd. Cornelscourt Hill Rd should also be avoided.
Gardaí say Ballinascorney Hill and Aghfarrell Hill on Tallaght/Brittas Rd (R114) are impassable.
0802 AA Roadwatch Northside Dublin Summary Report
The M1 is down to one lane in both directions between the Balbriggan exits (J6&5).
Traffic is already extremely heavy southbound on the M1 from J4 Lissenhall to J2 Dublin Airport.
Routes around Rush, Lusk & Skerries are treacherous.
Road conditions extremely poor around Fairview, Howth and Malahide.
Gardai advise motorists to avoid Station Rd by the DART station in Raheny as conditions are icy.
In the Phoenix Park, there are a number of road and gate closures due to the poor weather conditions. Parkgate St, Castleknock Gate, Cabra Gate and Ashtown Gate are the only gates open.
0757 In Limerick city, Upper O’Connell Street is closed to traffic following a serious traffic collision
0756 The N11 at Kill Lane (close to Foxrock Church) in Dublin is extremely icy and traffic should avoid the area.
0739 The Latest AA Roadwatch National Summary
Heavy snow overnight and further snowfall this morning has led to difficult and dangerous conditions in Leinster and Connaught. Widespread severe ice is a problem across the country with temperatures as low as -14 degrees.
CONNACHT
MAYO Very heavy snowfall overnight around Castlebar and Westport. Secondary routes are treacherous, and visibility is poor in parts.
GALWAY Fresh snowfall in Galway City is causing problems for motorists. Severe ice and fresh snow all around around Clifden, but particularly on the N59 Clifden/Westport Rd & Maam Valley Rd. Very bad at Oughterard and Maam Cross. Hazardous due to compacted snow on the Clifden/ Ballyconneely Rd (R341). Galway city centre roads are not too bad.
LEITRIM Extremely icy conditions around Carrick-on-Shannon.
SLIGO Ice and snow is a problem in many parts of Co. Sligo.
ROSCOMMON Ice is widespread around Boyle and on the Frenchpark Rd (R361) &the N61/Roscommon Rd.
LEINSTER
KILDARE/LAOIS Poor visibility and snow on the M7 between J9 Naas north & J18 Portlaoise (Laois), worst at J14 Monasterevin. Roads round Naas covered in snow. M4 is very icy from J7 Maynooth & J5 Leixlip.
WICKLOW/WEXFORD Fresh heavy snow on the N11 at Jack Whites, Arklow, Wicklow and Gorey. Avoid Kilgarron Hill, Enniskerry, Wicklow Gap and Sally Gap. Care needed between Ballyknockan and Lackan.
OFFALY Avoid the N61 Kinnitty/Mountrath Rd.
LONGFORD Black ice around Longford Town and on the Longford/Ballymahon Rd (R393), also very icy on Granard/Castlepollard Rd. * Also extremely icy on the N63 Lanesborough/ Roscommon Rd.
LOUTH Icy on secondary routes in Drogheda. Icy on Carrickmacross/Ardee Rd. Black ice on the N2 Ardee/ Slane Rd. Extremely icy throughout the Carlingford and Cooley areas.
MUNSTER
LIMERICK O’ Connell Ave / Quinn St is closed until midday at least due to a serious crash. Freezing fog on the M7 Limerick City Bypass and on the N24 Tipperary Rd. Icy around Newcastle West on the N21 Abbeyfeale Rd, the Drumcollogher Rd (R519), and on the Bruff Line and Kilmallock Rd.
CORK Secondary roads in the city are icy but particularly on the northside. Icy still in and around Mallow town, also on the N73/Mitchelstown Rd and N72 Killavullen Rd. HGV’s should continue to avoid the hill on the N72 Mallow/Fermoy Rd outside Mallow at Olivers Cross. Very icy on N25 at the on/off ramps for Carrigtwohill and Cobh. In West Cork, very icy on N22/Macroom/Killarney Rd.
KERRY Icy on secondary routes around the county. Conor Pass remains closed.
CLARE The Kilmihil/Cree Rd (R484) is impassable.
ULSTER
DONEGAL Treacherous conditions remain around Glenties. Avoid Barnesmore Gap and Meenroy on the Letterkenny/Fintown Rd (R250). Very icy on N14 Lifford/Letterkenny Rd, particularly at Lurgybrack. Very icy around Ballybofey on the N13 Letterkenny Rd, the N15 Donegal Rd and the Lifford Rd. Freezing fog between Carndonagh and Buncrana (R244, R238); use fog lights.
MONAGHAN Freezing fog around Monaghan Town and secondary roads are very icy. Use fog lights in affected areas.
0735 Gardaí have described road conditions on the N11 northbound near Shankill as treacherous, as are roads throughout Wicklow.
Again they warn drivers to take extreme care. Gardaí say southeast Dublin is worst hit by the weather conditions.
Also, burst water mains at Chalet gardens in Lucan are causing problems.
0722 Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch tells Morning Ireland that it is going to be a terrible morning with widespread traffic disruption.
He advises the use of public transport wherever possible.
He said that it will not be a normal commute, and to expect to arrive to late work - if you accept that you will be less likely to grow stressed.
He advises drivers to take a fully charged mobile phone with them in case they get stuck, while a shovel is also advisable.
The mats from your car can be placed under your tires to gain traction if necessary.
0706 Most Bus Éireann services around the country are operating as per normal this morning with some delays and diversions in affected areas.
Services currently affected: Route 33: Dublin/Derry – 1000 departure from Dublin cancelled
Route 133: Dublin/Wicklow – Operating, but not serving Leg of Mutton
More info at transport.ie or buseireann.ie.
0702 Siobhan Moore of the Dublin Airport Authority says 300-400 people spent the night at Dublin airport.
0650 It's been another exceptionally cold night across Northern Ireland.
Temperatures plummeted to -17C in Katesbridge, Co Down, overnight.
All three of Northern Ireland's airports - the International, Belfast City and City of Derry - are open, but cancellations and delays are expected to continue.
The Ambulance Service has suspended transport for non-emergency patients.
0637 RTÉ's London Editor Brian O'Connell says travellers across Britain trying to get back to Ireland for Christmas had a tough time yesterday and it is unlikely to get any easier for them today.
With the freezing weather forecast to continue across Britain until Christmas Day, delays and cancellations will continue for the rest of the week.
Despite the fact that the ban on night flying at Heathrow has been relaxed, only one runway there is open and only a third of the regular flight schedule will be operating for at least the next 24 hours.
At Gatwick Airport, where passengers were told to leave the terminal building last night, staff have been working through the night to clear snow from the runways so that flights can resume there this morning.
Most other British airports are operating but are subject to delays and cancellations.
0631 Commuters are facing difficult and prolonged journeys this morning because of freezing conditions and heavy snow.
Gardaí are urging motorists to take extreme care on all roads and reduce their speed.
0623 There were heavy falls of snow in Monaghan last night, where temperatures hit -12C. Heavy snow was falling Castlebar, Co Mayo, early this morning. Bray also suffered some heavy snow fall earlier this morning, and conditions on the N11 were described as icy.
0615 Dublin Bus is operating services on all corridors this morning, however due to icy road conditions there are a significant number of curtailments and diversions on some routes, particularly across the southside of the city and in suburban housing estates.
Bus customers are advised to check if their route is affected before travelling, as curtailments and diversions may change throughout the course of the morning.
A full list of the routes affected is available on dublinbus.ie. Bus customers can also phone the Dublin Bus Customer Information Line on 01-8734222 or visit transport.ie
0612 Luas Red and Green lines are operating normally today. Luas freephone number is 1800-300604
0609 Check Cork, Dublin and Shannon airport departures and arrivals here
0609 Shannon airport is fully operational. However, passengers are advised to check the status of their flight with the airline before going to the airport.
Flights can still be impacted due to weather conditions at other airports.
0608 Cork airport is fully operational. There may be some delays to the flight schedule as a result of adverse weather conditions at other European airports.
The internal approach roads continue to be kept clear by the Airport Maintenance crews.
0606 Dublin airport is fully operational today.
Its snow and ice clearing crew worked throughout the night to clear the runway, taxiway and associated apron areas in time for the start-up of flight operations this morning.
Disruption to flight schedules may occur should weather conditions deteriorate further. Passengers are advised to consult with their airline or airline's website before going to the airport today.
0600 Good morning. This is how it looks this morning...
Met Éireann is forecasting another day of sub-zero temperatures and snow showers, with ice making driving conditions very dangerous around the country.
Gardaí are urging motorists to take extreme care on all roads and reduce their speed.
Thousands of flights have been cancelled across Europe because of snow and ice, leaving many travellers stranded.
Thousands of people have had to spend the night in airport departure lounges in London.
Passengers are being warned of long delays because of the huge backlog of flights.
Heathrow Airport is warning that disruption to services will continue until Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports are all open this morning, but passengers are being advised to check for travel updates on line before leaving home.
Dublin Bus say there will be diversions and curtailments to some of its services this morning and some delays due to slow traffic.
They are advising customers to check dublinbus.ie before travelling.
Meanwhile, Irish Rail says they are operating full services across Intercity, DART and Commuter routes.
However, some delays may occur where snow is being cleared from points.
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