A front of cold air is expected to move across Ireland for the coming days as over 40,000 homes are without electricity this morning.

The ESB expects 41,000 customers to still be without power this morning due to the snow.

Homes, farms and businesses in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Laois and Wicklow are affected.

Information about outages and restoration times is available on www.PowerCheck.ie.

Forecast

Heavy snow hit roads yesterday but the severe weather appears to be easing up across the country as Ireland moves from a Status Orange weather warning to a Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning.

The Status Yellow warning came into effect last night for the entire country and will continue until midday Thursday.

Met Éireann forecaster Mark Bowe said the system that brought snow and sleet over the weekend has “pulled away to the east”.

“That system that came over us over the weekend, which brought significant amounts of snow, has now pulled away to the east, but has left behind plenty of snow and sleet and rain on the ground, and that is going to freeze with the very low temperatures that we're getting over the next few days,” he said.

“We do have that low temperature warning, which is going to count for pretty much most of next week, as we're expecting the very cold air to move down over us today.”

Health Services

There will be some disruption to Health Service Executive (HSE) services in a number of counties today due to the severe weather.

The snow has cancelled some services in Cork, Kerry, South Tipperary, Laois and parts of the mid-west due to the hazardous travelling conditions.

These include outpatient appointments and day services.

However, the HSE says most services will operate as normal, with no disruptions in the west, north-west, north-east and most of Dublin.

Schools

Some schools will remain shut today with children in affected areas getting an extended Christmas break – as the new term is due to begin today.

These schools are in the counties worst-affected by the cold weather - including Waterford, Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois and Kildare.

Cork City Council Director of Services David Joyce said it is a decision for individual schools as to whether or not they open.

“We would suggest that parents would contact their local school through the various different apps or social media that the schools have in order to understand whether their specific school is going to open or not,” he said.

“There will not be a blanket decision on all schools across the city, it will be matter for each individual school to check.”

Rail travel

All rail routes - except one - will operate today, but there could be delays in areas affected by snow.

Trains from Limerick through Nenagh to Ballybrophy will not run this morning due to the weather conditions.

Iarnrod Éireann's Barry Kenny said train passengers should “allow additional time” to reach their destination today.

“So we're planning to operate right across the network this morning, customers should allow additional time to reach stations if they're in areas that have been affected by the snow and ice because of road conditions, there is the possibility, obviously, of some delays or disruption to the network,” he said.

“We will keep customers updated on our website and on X (formerly Twitter).”

Road safety

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is urging motorists and pedestrians to exercise extreme caution on the roads and footpaths this morning.

The RSA’s Aoibhinn Twomey has advised people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

“Just ask yourself - is the journey absolutely essential?

“It’s really important that we all work together and just relieve the pressure on the emergency services and try to keep the roads as clear as possible for essential travel.”

Ms Twomey emphasised that road users should “exercise caution”.

JCBs clearing snow at Tipperary University Hospital. 5/1/25 Photo: Jim Ryan Contracting Services Ltd.