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LAST UPDATE | 12 Dec 2022
TEMPERATURES ARE SET to remain below freezing in some areas of the country this evening as the cold spell continues.
A nationwide Status Orange alert for low temperatures and ice was in place until midday today.
Met Éireann also issued a fresh orange warning for freezing fog covering most of the country until midnight tonight. The following areas will be affected:
According to the forecaster the freezing fog will be dense in places and “will persist through the afternoon and into tonight, leading to very hazardous driving conditions”.
The National Emergency Coordination Group – which includes Met Éireann and all the relevant government departments and agencies – met this morning to discuss the current conditions, which are expected to remain until at least Friday.
Following the meeting, the group warned that while public transport will still operate, services may be slower than normal.
While most schools will remain open as normal, a small number have closed today due to hazardous local conditions.
There are also outreach teams in place across the country checking with rough sleepers and encouraging them to take offers of indoor shelter, with beds available in Dublin and other cities and towns around the country.
The group said that “anybody who needs shelter will be provided with it”.
People are being advised to monitor social media and the websites of transport providers for any local diversions or other changes.
Gritters were out in force on primary routes overnight as temperatures dropped below -5 in parts of the country.
Widespread gritting is set to continue in the coming days, with local authorities also able to deploy ploughs if needed.
Dublin City Council said it will be gritting 300km of the City’s main roads and gritting footpaths at a “number of priority locations”.
However, the statement warned that it “will not be possible to treat all roads and footpaths”, so the council has advised road users to exercise caution over the coming days.
The latest forecast for the day from Met Éireann says it will be calm, bright and bitterly cold. Wintry showers will also continue in the northwest, with a few moving into eastern and southern counties during the afternoon and evening.
It will reach up to four degrees in some coastal areas but will remain below zero for much of the north midlands.
Water safety
It will remain very cold throughout the week with widespread frost and ice and occasional wintry showers near the coasts.
With the icy weather warnings in place throughout the country, the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have issued a joint water safety appeal urging people to be aware of the added danger this week when on or near the water.
It came following the deaths of three children in England who fell through ice into a lake during play.
The statement advised that due to the freezing temperatures, many inland bodies of water have frozen over at canals, lakes, ponds and flooded areas.
“As the thickness of this ice can vary greatly the strong advice is to stay off the ice,” the joint statement said.
“Be extra vigilant while walking beside bodies of water as walkways and paths can become extremely slippery and unsafe when icy. Keep pets and young children away from the edges.”
It added that people should “avoid lakes that are covered or partially covered in ice”.
“When you go open water swimming, it is very important to acclimatise by entering the water slowly and allowing time for your body to get used to the cold,” it continued.
To help yourself acclimatise, splash the cold water on your neck and face and warm up afterwards by putting on dry clothes quickly and wear a warm hat as soon as you get out.
Water Safety Ireland’s Deputy CEO Roger Sweeney said children are naturally curious about walking on ice “but parents should emphasize that it is not safe as the thickness can vary”, so adults should “provide uninterrupted, responsible supervision beside any waterway”.
The public is further advised that if they see anybody in trouble on the water or along the coast or think they are in trouble, then they should dial 112 or use Marine vhf Radio Channel 16 and ask for the Coast Guard.
Speaking to Morning Ireland earlier, Met Éireann’s Gerry Murphy said the lowest temperature overnight had been in Athenry in Co Galway where it reached -7.2 degrees.
Murphy added that parts of Cork and South Kerry could experience wintry showers by tomorrow. So far the wintry precipitation has been confined mostly to the east coast and northwest.
A widespread snow event is not expected.
Air travel
Prospective air passengers are being advised to check with their airlines before heading to catch their flight.
Flights were suspended at Stansted Airport in London earlier after the airport was forced to close the runway due to bad weather, and knock-on impacts are expected.
London and Big Ben under the snow tonight. Just beautiful ❄️ pic.twitter.com/wbDMxMuKDo
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) December 11, 2022
In a statement this evening, daa spokesperson Graeme McQueen said that “with some potential for sleet at Dublin Airport this evening, our runways and taxiways have been pre-emptively sprayed”.
As of 7pm this evening, 73 flights have been cancelled at Dublin Airport; 41 outbound and 32 inbound.
This was “due mainly to poor weather conditions at UK airports,” McQueen said.
Speaking after yesterday’s emergency committee meeting, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said the group would continue to monitor the ongoing weather conditions.
“I would advise everybody to monitor national and local media, including social media, over the coming days to keep up to date with information regarding the developing weather situation.
“Above all, make sure you stay warm and safe and keep in touch with vulnerable or elderly neighbours.”
He added: “The message to people is that life will go on as normal, everything will remain open, but we just want people to remain careful, especially on the road”.
He also said supply to the energy grid is stable and that he has received a “positive outlook” from EirGrid and Gas Networks Ireland.
Speaking this morning on Morning Ireland, O’Brien said that while schools would stay open there would be discretion at a local level depending on specific weather conditions.
The coordination group advised in a statement:
Additional reporting by Tadgh McNally and Hayley Halpin
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Take care out there this morning folks. For all you Beamer/Audi/Golf GTI drivers, ye probably never spotted it before, but there is a pedal in between the clutch and the accelerator that ye might need to use for the first time today…..just don’t press it too hard the first time you try it on these roads! On a more serious note, if you can see a few cars ahead of you in traffic, then you can be seen a few cars back, so knock off those rear fog lights once someone pulls up behind you, please!
@Joe Kennedy: Mine’s an automatic, what do I do???? Tell me Joe???
@Joe Kennedy: I’ve never a problem with those folks, they come and go quickly. Its the clusters of nervous drivers unsure of where they are and the never ending line of HGVs are the problem.
@Mick O’Shea: pull out the fuse Mick…..only way to be sure!!
@Joe Kennedy: And a yellow box is still a yellow box, even though there’s a light covering of snow over it.
@thesaltyurchin: come and go quickly? Maybe you’ve never been stuck behind them for MILES and the red fog light burning a hole in your head? And no need for it on, in the vast majority of cases, once the traffic is all tipping along in convoy.
@Joe Kennedy: Also, the stage lever on the left is for indicators!
@Joe Kennedy: Only people I get ‘stuck’ behind (endless commuter traffic aside) are the regulators, think they’re doing their bit for the world by driving 20km below the limit in the fast lane. Dunno how you could get stuck behind the boy/man racers unless you’re an F1 loon! Tailgaters are the worst of all, bad drivers who think they’re good, no idea of momentum. just foot down, chicken fillet all over the dash. I do feel the laser-like rear fog. Super annoying, can’t say it on here tho, Irish people love being annoying nearly as much as begrudging!
@Joe Kennedy: Ah so that was you this morning in your Nissan leaf, completely oblivious to what was going on around you, no spacial awareness whatsoever… Slowing down to a crawl when other cars are oncoming in the other lane, only to speed up to 20 kph again once they passed… Half afraid to turn the wheel, so you are actually moving over the white lines to the wrong side of the road..
We all have our pet peeves Joe, but mine is certainly Not Nissan’s leaf, its the oblivious driver behind the wheel.
@thesaltyurchin: ?? Think you’ve misunderstood what I was saying? Wouldn’t be stuck behind the boy/man racers of course…..was referring to the slow moving convoy of traffic that inevitably ensues, when the roads are bad, and folks with fog lights on then for no reason!
@Joe Kennedy: cheers for the heads-up Joe. If ye didn’t generalize all of us I would never figured out where the brake pedal was…. Flute. Enjoy driving your shitbox.
On a positive note I haven’t seen anyone wearing shorts for a few days !
@Max Power: lol. In some cases, that’s definitely a blessing haha.
@Max Power: saw someone wearing shorts yesterday in town !
@Max Power: was up the Wicklow mountains yesterday enjoying the snow, saw a lad out for a jog….in feckin shorts!
@Anna Carr: Wearing shorts and a warm jacket and woolly hat …. It’s like having the central heating on and the windows open… only in Ireland will you see guys wearing shorts in the cold!
@Max Power: Saw a lad yesterday in Liffey Valley. With FLIPFLOPS!
@Max Power: 2 so far today
@Max Power: English always did on building sites, you could tell them a mile away. Postmen in UK do even in very cold weather
@Max Power: I saw a fella yesterday fair play to him lol
@Sarah Bridget: You’ll be grand and warm if you are running.
I saw two lads in shorts on Thursday night in town, but they were running for a taxi ;-)
@Max Power: nope, I saw plenty of them in Canada too. It’s almost like it’s a show of bravado to wear shorts in -10° weather (admittedly I didn’t see any shorts in -30° weather, you could do it but you wouldn’t do it twice)
@Max Power: I’ve seen three lads in t-shirts shovelling snow & ice off a hotel footpath, fair play to them.
@Max Power: A grown man walked his child to school this morning in flip flops and shorts in Castleknock. Most likely an ex rugby player.
@Tricia G ☘️: I also saw him
Seems logical to suggest that Russia is involved in this.
@Sean Casey: Yep with the sanctions cold is pretty much the only thing they’re allowed to export to Europe.
Can we put it in the next round please.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: Comment of the week for me!
A little bit of frost in other words.
We love a bit of drama esp the media
@Patrick Kennedy: I agree. I see on the Independent they are talking about -10C temperatures. I checked the weather forecast for this week and I can’t find any days where it’s going to be that cold. Fluctuations between maybe -2 and 2 or 3 degrees across the board.
Are we missing something?
@David Corrigan: they love quoting the real feel temperature, at one point yesterday it did give -9 real feel for last night but think it stayed around -7. We have been getting -4 here in the Midlands as the fog isn’t lifting at all in some places. But I agree it’s not that bad, roads well gritted and just be prepared with proper layers. But thats easy to say when I’m not out in it for my job, I’m sure truckers, farmers, etc are finding it very tough…I have to break my animals water trough ever hour or so, not ideal if I’m gone for the day
@David Corrigan: think you are missing something, article says was -7.2 in Athenry overnight.
@DK: It might be you who missed something. Read his comment again where he states The Independent are quoting -10, which they are.
@DK: I’m not saying it’s not cold. I am just saying that they seem to be exaggerating it a bit. People still need to be careful for sure but to me it’s just bog standard Dec weather for Ireland.
@Dawn Harvey: Absolutely Dawn. Like I said below, it’s just standard weather for December in Ireland.
@Dawn Harvey: Would you try adding a couple of floating plastic bottles or balls to the water, or a sheet of foam? That sometimes stops the surface from freezing over completely.
@David Corrigan: Definitely not bog standard weather for December in Ireland. About 3-4 degrees below norm across the board. That’s the equivalent of a summer heatwave at other end of scale. We haven’t had a blast of cold weather in December since 2009, 2010 when we had two exceptional winters. It’s not cold relative to other places but cold for Ireland which has a mild maritime climate contrary to what many would have you believe. Also, remember that conditions vary wildly even in small areas so just because what you are experiencing in your back garden is OK doesnt mean it’s not far worse in other areas.
Hope vulnerable people can have proper heating on. Nothing as miserable as being cold in your own home.
It’s winter. In winter we get snow, ice and frost. Unfortunately we don’t have the ability to deal with it.
@Dave Barrett: We don’t regularly though. We’ve one of the mildest climates in Northern hemisphere. Haven’t had a cold winter in years. Not worth investing in what it takes to deal with proper snow and ice when it won’t get used. Simple economics.
@Brian Murphy: Yea, but as a people we are Mrs. Doyle trying to get up a step.
Were we not being told that Ireland is getting warmer with Climate Change..
Looks like they got it wrong.
@Roger Bond: eh, that’s not how it works.
@Roger Bond: Tell me you don’t understand the science behind climate change without telling me.
@Roger Bond: Obvious troll is obvious
No where near the orange warning they issued for ice here in naas. Fri was worse
@Warren Kennedy: – 7 deg C in West Cork.
Update. RTE news reporter just now at the foothills of the Dublin mountains.
” Yes, I can confirm it is cold here now”
Brilliant.
@John Flynn: … Only because it’s the traditional place to abandon stolen cars.
Freezing fog here in Dublin and icy roads.
New drivers, if you cover your windscreens overnight, it’s easier to see through them. I see too many rushing out with electric kettles in the morning – that cracks the glass, no one needs that!
@Fiona Fitzgerald: Some people never learn, lukewarm water works better, but the best thing is to nip out early and turn the car on, then you won’t be getting into an icebox.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: if your car is robbed you have no insurance cover as the keys were in it. It’s also not recommended for your engine’s longevity to warm it in a stationary position.
@Gerard Cummins: Genuine question, what difference would it make to an engine if it’s being warmed up whilst stationary, versus on the move?
@Stephen Small: The fuel mixture is relatively rich when idling, and even more so when the engine is warming up, so the excess fuel washes the oil off the cylinder bores (‘bore-washing’), which causes wear and poor compression (loss of power). If you strip down an engine that has done a lot of idling, the wear is very obvious. It’s also a waste of fuel, as an engine warms up far faster when it is being driven.
Warm water from the kettle (boil half a kettle and fill the remainder from the tap – should be able to leave your finger in the water) is great for defrosting windscreens – pour the whole kettle on, even after the ice has melted, as you’ll warm up the glass itself, and then your own breath won’t condense on the inside during the first few km.
@Stephen Small: In fairness cars need the warm air switched onto the windows before moving off. Sure if you can’t see, you can’t drive!
I wish some people would learn how and when to use their fog lights in this weather.
Its states that Athenry, in Galway was minus 7.2 last night, the coldest recorded so far.
Got cold just reading that
All Retail should throw salt in front of their premises so pedestrians don’t slip when shopping especially since the co council haven’t even bothered this Year.
Bad, bad decision about School Opening. Consider the difficulty for Rural Schools, treacherous this morning and ditto when coming home. Who made this stupid decision.
@James Keogh: I drove to work at 8.00am this morning with car saying – 7 deg. But roads were fine. Cold weather does not necessarily mran bad roads.
@James Keogh: But local discretion has ALWAYS been allowed. Apparently some schools in Donegal and Kerry have closed.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Accept what you are saying but, to have young children walk in fog and stand waiting for a School bus on a Rural roadside with poor visibility for motorists is not a clever solution. It was and is a poor decision by the Minister. You have the protection of the vehicle, the pedestrian does not.
@James Keogh: Fair point too!
@James Keogh: so many here whinging about the over reactions from the media and authorities.
“Just a little frost”
“In other words it’s winter”
@Paul Furey: It’s not the Frost or the Cold, it’s the Fog as in visibility.
@James Keogh: we had 3months of way worse than this in 2009/2010.
Out for a walk at the moment. The freezing fog is very pretty when the light hits it just right. A sky full of diamonds.
@OConnelj: Lucy in the sky……..
RTE weather staff must have looked out there window
@Patrick Monaghan: *their. But they get the forecasts from Met Eireann in Glasnevin. And the forecasts on the 6.00pm nrws ate professional meteorologists.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: they did what to the professional meterologists?????
If the young ladies can wear mini skirts in this weather, what’s wrong with the lads wearing shorts ?
Time to break out the Canadian Goose .
CORK also suffering freezing fog
Commiserations to Cork, they’re used to the better weather.
Stay in if you can. Take great care if you can’t and have some hot milky chocolate, it’s wonderful for getting the heat back into your bones.
I alway love over cooked jambons yummy haha,
have your say