THOUSANDS of homes were without power across Limerick this Sunday (January 5) and transport has been interrupted across the board following continued snowfall throughout Saturday night and into this morning.
This comes as Met Éireann has extended the Status Orange snow and ice warning for Limerick and a number of other counties.
The weather service had originally set out the Status Orange warning – which denotes “dangerous” or “disruptive” conditions which “may pose a threat to life and property” for 5pm on Saturday to 5pm today (Sunday). However, the warning was extended this morning to reach until 8pm this Sunday evening.
Temperatures will hit freezing again tonight, with lows of as much as -8 predicted for later in the week on Wednesday.
A lower level Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning will be in place from 5pm this Sunday evening and will last until 12pm on Thursday (January 9).
Thousands of homes were without power across the county today, including more than 600 in Bruff, 1,285 in Garryspillane, 500 in Patrickswell, 1,000 in Milford, 700 in Dromcolligher, almost 800 in Newcastle West, and over 1,200 in Raheen.
The ESB continues to carry out restoration works, with the majority of works expected to be completed by 9pm this evening. Regular updates are available on powercheck.esbnetworks.ie.
Roads
Roads and skies have made for difficult travel since last night, with a number of routes experiencing difficulties.
Bus Éireann confirmed a number of service cancellations this morning due to adverse conditions on the roads, including routes between Limerick City and Cork, Mitchelstown, Tralee, Cashel, Cappamore, Ballybunion, Nenagh, Kilfinane, Killarney, Waterford, and more up to at least 3pm today.
For the most up to date information on bus transport, travellers are advised to check buseireann.ie/service-updates before setting off.
The N21 from Old Barna to Templeglantine was closed for a period last night too, with Limerick City and County Council reporting “impassable” road conditions due to the road’s elevation and snowfall.
Council crews were out with tractors, ploughs, and gritters to make the road safe again.
Gritters were also deployed for the N20, and for Kilfinane, Kilmallock, Bruff, and Croom last night, with many roads in the city centre, Devon Cross, Dromcollogher, and Newcastle West being treatment by the local authority too.
The local authority warned of treacherous conditions on roads across the county this afternoon, with heavy accumulations of snow and some areas with fallen trees reported.
It is understood the fire services were also called to respond to a number of incidents overnight where vehicles had become stuck or broken down.
An update from the Council this Sunday afternoon said that snow is starting to get heavy in the Oola and Caherconlish areas, and that felled trees have been reported in the Creeves to Hogan’s Quarry areas. Crews are on the way to address the issues.
“All 14 routes on Winter Management Plan are being treated and ploughed on an ongoing basis since 8am this morning. It is expected to continue until 8pm this evening when the snow event is expected to pass over Limerick,” the local authority said.
“One or two treatments will be required over night. Temperatures are due to drop tonight to -2 and over the next number of days leading to treacherous driving conditions this week with ice and black ice likely.
“Thaw currently predicted for Friday. We can’t guarantee treated routes are ice or frost free due to changing precipitation conditions.”
Air travel
Shannon Airport has confirmed that it is fully operational but experiencing some flight delays as snowfall continues.
“Intending passengers are advised to contact their airline for the latest flight information. Passengers travelling to Shannon Airport today are advised to allow extra time for their journey and to drive with extreme care,” a spokeswoman for the airport said.
“Our Shannon Airport snow ice team were on-site overnight working tirelessly to ensure that the airport runway and taxiways remained clear of snow and ice.
“The airport is fully operational with the early morning US flights from Boston and New York arriving on schedule. However, delays are expected to a number of flights over the course of the day and passengers are advised to contact their airlines for the latest flight information.
“The situation is being exacerbated by the temporary closures of some UK airports.”
Two flights had to be divert to Shannon Airport already today, one a Norse Atlantic flight (UBT5876) from Cancun to Manchester, another (FR 611) from Dublin to Kerry Airport.
At home
With the threat of burst pipes resulting from the freezing conditions, Uisce Éireann has issued some advice to remind people to protect their water pipes, noting that “water expands by nearly 10 per cent as it freezes and turns into ice, which stops the flow of water through pipes and can even cause new pipes to split”.
The Uisce Éireann tips include “checking outside pipes that can become frozen and burst during periods of cold weather and, if possible, turn off water supply to these areas or to any unoccupied premises”.
“Alternatively, people may consider setting the heating to come on periodically at a lower temperature. This allows warm air to circulate and will help to prevent pipes and tanks from freezing in the cold weather.”
The utility also urged people during the cold snap to conserve water and not leave taps running as “this will not necessarily prevent pipes from freezing and can impact on your local water supply … and can cause other problems such as frozen drains”.
Emergency help is available from Uisce Éireann 24/6 on 1800 278 278. Free text alerts on supply interruptions can also be signed up to on water.ie.
Gas Networks Ireland also issued a statement reassuring 725,000 service users nationwide that no disruption to service was predicted, stating that “during a power cut, gas supplies and your gas meter should continue to operate as normal”.
“Gas appliances, however, may be affected. Although they operate by burning gas, most gas appliances rely on mains electricity for items such as pumps, fans, electronic controls and so on, so in the event of a power outage they may not operate until the power is restored.”
“When the power is restored, gas appliances should operate as normal, but some boilers may need to be reset.”
Gas Networks Ireland urged those without power not to run generators or diesel equipment indoors, as it could result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
Gas Networks Ireland’s 24-hour emergency line is available on 1800 20 50 50.
