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Status Orange warning as temperatures to drop below -5C

Updated / Wednesday, 14 Dec 2022 06:51
There have been at least 18 flights to and from Dublin cancelled (File pic: RollingNews.ie)
There have been at least 18 flights to and from Dublin cancelled (File pic: RollingNews.ie)

Temperatures are forecast to drop below -5C on Wednesday night as a new Status Orange weather warning has been issued by Met Éireann for 19 counties.

The Status Orange low temperature and ice warning has been issued for counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Galway, Leitrim and Roscommon.

Met Éireann said it will be "extremely cold" during the night "with widespread temperatures below -5C leading to severe frost and ice".

The warning is valid from 6pm on Wednesday until noon on Thursday.

Fog in Dublin city centre yesterday

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning remains in place for Ireland until midday on Friday.

Met Éireann said it will remain very cold through the week with widespread sharp to severe frosts and icy stretches.

A Status Yellow freezing fog warning was in place overnight for Connacht, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly and Westmeath.

The UK Met Office also had an ice and fog warning in place for the six counties of Northern Ireland this morning.

A Status Yellow ice warning is in place for counties Antrim, Down and Derry. It is valid until noon tomorrow.

Tonight is forecast to be bitterly cold night but becoming generally dry and clear. There is the chance of an isolated wintry shower near northwest coasts.

Widespread frost and ice will develop with lowest temperatures of -5 to -1 degrees in a light to moderate northeast breeze.

McDonald: Eamon Ryan 'asleep' over airport disruption

Earlier, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan of being "asleep at the wheel again", as chaos returns to Dublin Airport with the cancellation of many flights due to the cold snap.

There have been at least 18 flights to and from Dublin cancelled today, while more than 70 were cancelled yesterday due to the weather.

Ms McDonald called on the minister to intervene immediately to ensure the airport operated efficiently.

She told the Dáil that airport users have been sent "from pillar to post" and there is a rising "sense of frustration" at the absence of information which had led to a sense of "here we go again".

The Dublin Central TD said Christmas is the busiest period of the year and there simply could not be a return to the mayhem of the summer disruption to the airport.

She said there has been "a real failure" to prepare for the cold snap but there has been "not a word from the Government or Minister Ryan".

Taoiseach Micheál Martin replied that Minister Ryan was "very much awake" and engaged.

"Could I reassure the deputy that Eamon Ryan is not asleep, he is anything but fast asleep at this particular juncture," he said.

He said that the National Emergency Coordination team has been meeting on a daily basis and that if agencies are established by law, and are well resourced, then there is an obligation on them to fulfill their obligations.

The Taoiseach said Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien met Dublin Airport operator daa over the weekend, adding the Government does need to ensure that there is capacity at Dublin Airport, such as the de-icing of planes and runways, as well as making sure that key connectivity is maintained.

35,000 tonnes of grit salt will be used during cold spell

The cold spell will see one third of the amount of gritting salt normally used during a winter season used in a single week.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland confirmed to RTÉ's Morning Ireland that 35,000 tonnes of salt grit will be used nationally by local authorities de-icing roads, including motorways and national and regional roads, by next Friday at a cost of €1.75m.

In a normal year, 100,000 tonnes of salt are used for an entire winter season.

"During this current spell, we're projecting the use of approximately 25,000 to 35,000 tons. This is a severe weather event," said Sean O'Neill, spokesperson for Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

He added that there is an eight-week supply of salt in storage.

"We currently have over 200,000 tonnes in stock throughout our network," Mr O'Neill said.

"We’re amply supplied, but as supplies get used, we can identify what areas we need to resupply from our own network, and then if we have to order, we have plenty of time to order additional salt supplies."

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Coldest day since 2010

Yesterday was the coldest day since 2010, according to Met Éireann's Gerry Murphy, who said Ballyhaise, Co Cavan, was the coldest place in the country.

Mr Murphy said the lowest temperature recorded yesterday was in Ballyhaise at -6.9C.

The lowest temperature of the year on the island was recorded in Katesbridge in Co Down, with a low of -9C seen in the early hours of this morning, according to the UK Met Office.

The UK also provisionally recorded its coldest night and day of the year yesterday.

Braemer, in Aberdeenshire, was the coldest place in the UK, recording a low of -15.7C and a high of -9.3C, the lowest minimum temperature since February 2021 and the lowest maximum in 12 years.

The five next coldest UK temperatures were all recorded in Scotland, including -13.1C at Balmoral.

Flight cancellations

So far today, there have been 18 flight cancellations at Dublin Airport, eight outbound and ten inbound, all between Dublin and London.

More than 70 flights in and out of Dublin Airport were cancelled yesterday due to the weather.

A spokesperson for daa, which operates Dublin Airport, said 41 outbound flights and 32 inbound flights were cancelled "mainly due to poor weather conditions at UK airports".

Shannon Airport also reported eight cancellations.

Care around open water

The Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland issued a joint water safety appeal urging people to be aware of the added danger around water during the cold spell.

In England, three boys died after being pulled from an icy lake in Solihull on Sunday.

"Due to the freezing temperatures, many inland bodies of water have frozen over at canals, lakes, ponds and flooded areas," said the statement from the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland.

"As the thickness of this ice can vary greatly the strong advice is to stay off the ice."

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Water Safety Ireland Chief Executive Joanne Walsh added that people who are open-water swimming in this weather should take precautions to ensure their safety.

"Know your ability, know your limits, know your surroundings, being aware of signage and warnings, tides, currents," Ms Walsh said.

She said people should dress appropriately and acclimatise to the water before becoming fully submerged.

Additional reporting: Paul Cunningham, Cian McCormack, PA

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