Met Eireann has forecast that extreme cold will persist today with a further Status Orange warning for low temperatures and ice in place for 15 counties, before a “steady thaw” begins over the country at the weekend.
The warning for Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Roscommon, Tipperary, Leitrim and Donegal, came into effect at 7pm yesterday evening and is in place until 8am this morning.
A separate status yellow low temperature ice warning for the whole country will be in effect midday.
Tonight will be another “extremely cold night” in areas under the latest Orange warning, Met Éireann Meteorologist Linda Hughes has said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One yesterday, she said the temperature is expected to drop to lower than -5 degrees Celsius overnight.
Ms Hughes said a thaw would begin today in the southwest.
Met Éireann said the lowest temperature last night was a provisional record of -8.2C at a climate stations in Granard, Co Longford.
An earlier report from the forecaster noted a low temperature of -7.5C in Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
It said a temperature of -7C was recorded in Athenry, Co Galway, and -6.7C was noted in Oak Park, Co Carlow.
The temperatures recorded yesterday by the forecaster marked the coldest so far since they began to plummet at the weekend.
‘Focus’ on reconnecting water, power supplies
ESB Networks said that less than 200 homes, farms and businesses are awaiting restoration of power.
Crews are working to reconnect supply to impacted customers, it added.
Uisce Éireann said that around 4,500 customers – mainly in Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry – have no water.
The majority of these are expected to have their supply restored by this morning.
Uisce Éireann added that, as the cold snap continues, it expects an increase in the number of weather-related outages.
Warnings in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, a Yellow snow and ice warning – for counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry – is in place until 11am.
A Yellow fog alert impacting Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry ended at 9am.
The UK Met Office said that areas of freezing fog would make travel conditions difficult in places.
Separate weather alerts are also in place across the UK as people are braced for the mercury to plummet as low as -16C.
Minimum temperatures of -16C could be reached over the night, the Met Office said.
