A new 24-hour Status Yellow snow and ice alert has been issued across the country, coming into effect at 12pm this afternoon.
The nationwide Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning has been extended until midnight on Thursday by Met Éireann as well.
Bad weather, dangerous road conditions and power outages have severely impacted some of An Post’s services and post offices.
The postal service said it is currently not possible to make deliveries on the majority of postal routes in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny and parts of Wicklow.
Deliveries will resume when safe to do so - but An Post has warned that many post offices in the affected counties will remain shut today.
The weekend's cold snap has resulted in power and water outages across the country and the ESB is warning that further outages are expected.
⚠️There are currently Status Yellow Countrywide warnings for Low Temperature/Ice/Snow-Ice.
Please stay updated by checking the warnings website and local advice.
➡️https://t.co/3041XHjphi pic.twitter.com/daZq5gXaBL— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 6, 2025
Carlow Weather Alan O'Reilly said people need to prepare for blizzard conditions for the rest of the week.
“The cold air will stay in place until at least Thursday night, it'll be Friday really, before we see a proper thaw,” he said.
“Now, temperatures will get above freezing by day in some areas, but where the snow fields are, it's likely to stay below freezing for many parts during the day.
“The really cold temperatures will be Tuesday night and Wednesday night - we could see temperatures down as low as minus 10 degrees.”
Additionally, people are being asked to only contact the National Ambulance Service in the event of a genuine emergency, especially in the poor weather conditions.
Commuters head across the icy roads on the snow covered Curragh Plains in County Kildare. 6/1/2025. Photo: Eamonn Farrell/© RollingNews.ie34,000 homes and businesses are without power this afternoon and 40,0000 are without water following the freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall in parts of the country over the weekend.
ESB Networks Regional Manager Brian Tapley is warning it could take days to restore power in some counties.
“Access is the biggest issue, it's not that the number of outages is so significant compared to other storms, it's just physically accessing the network to switch it out and make it safe to work on, or even to access the locations where the network is damaged,” he said.
Check in on neighbours
The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management is asking people to check in on neighbours who may be isolated during the cold snap.
Head of the group Keith Leonard said people who are living alone will be vulnerable over the next few days.
“If you are having an emergency dial 999 or 1112 and even if you don't have coverage on your phone, you should still be able to access the 999 service,” he said.
“Our voluntary emergency services, as well as our local authorities and An Garda Síochána want to get to those people, but it's also equally important that people in the community themselves reach out.”
Fiona O'Farrell with grandchildren Jamie aged 10, Hollie aged 8 and Eve Higgins aged 2 after making a snowman. 05/01/2025 Photo: Derek Farrell/© RollingNews.ieA “substantial” number of schools will remain closed tomorrow because of the nationwide Status Yellow snow warning.
Those in Carlow, Kilkenny, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary are worst affected and were forced to close today.
Education Minister Norma Foley said the decision to close is a matter for individual school management authorities, however, safety must come first.
“The vast majority of our 4,000 schools are open, but a substantial number are closed in Carlow, Kilkenny, Limerick, Laois, Kerry, Tipperary, Waterford and Cork,” she said.
“I'm really, really conscious that every parent wants their child back at school and every child wants snow… but our singular concern in education is that safety comes first.”
Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports are all operating as normal today, however passengers are being urged to check with their airline before travelling.
Difficult driving conditions for motorists as heavy snow falls on the M7 motorway in Kildare. 05/01/2025 Photograph: Eamonn Farrell / © RollingNews.ie
