Roads remain treacherous in parts of Clare following another night of subzero temperatures.
Ahead of a steady thaw setting in, we’re being warned of one more night of wintry showers, which could lead to dangerous conditions on the roads tomorrow.
It’s another bitterly cold day today and while an orange weather alert expired this morning, the cold snap isn’t over just yet.
A status yellow low temperature and ice warning is now in effect and will remain in place for the entire country until lunchtime tomorrow, with temperatures expected to plummet again tonight.
Clare County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team, made up of local authority roads personnel and communications team, Clare County Fire Service and Clare Civil Defence has been meeting daily to coordinate the county response to the cold snap.
Council engineers have been monitoring weather conditions around the clock, with crews treating priority routes in accordance with the local authority’s Winter Maintenance Plan.
Civil Defence personnel and volunteers, meanwhile, have been assisting the HSE with bringing vulnerable patients to hospital appointments, as well as helping Gardaí with other access issues.
The Council’s Homeless Action Team has been able to “ensure safety overnight for those who sometimes sleep rough, and who wish to avail of more security at these times”.
Things will pick up at the weekend when there will be a steady thaw and Met Éireann says milder weather will develop into next week.
There was a light dusting of snow in parts of Clare this morning and travelling conditions are still dangerous across the county though, with frost, ice, lying snow and freezing fog still an issue and road temperatures remain below freezing.
Senior Engineer with Clare County Council’s Roads, Environment and Water Service Department, Cyril Feeney says more snow on the way tonight, coupled with subzero temperatures, could lead to some dangerous conditions in the morning.
Meanwhile, the Clare County Chair of the IFA says learning from the challenges faced by farmers during the cold snap will be vital, as part of efforts to prevent issues arising during these conditions in the future.
Feakle farmer, Stephen Walsh says farmers did face many challenges such as power and water outages, but got off reasonably lightly compared to other counties and on the whole were available to assist other neighbours with access issues.
Farmers have been calling for all necessary resources to be made available by Government to restore and maintain services, but the Clare County Chair says there are a number of simple steps that can be taken by farmers themselves to prevent against future issues.
You can listen to the full interview here:
