Ireland endures overnight blizzard

Posted by Jim on March 2, 2018

Almost 24,000 homes and businesses across Ireland are without power amid
one of the worst winter storms the country has experienced for decades.
Much of the country heeded warnings to stay indoors amid extreme weather
conditions overnight.

Sub-zero temperatures led to extremely dangerous road conditions and
virtually all public transport was cancelled, with flights at Dublin
Airport suspended until Saturday. All Dublin Bus, Luas and Irish Rail
services are suspended.

Dublin fire brigade reported trees being down, a roof collapse and poor
conditions on the roads, with their own vehicles struggling to get
through the snow drifts.

A Status Red alert will remain in place in Leinster, Munster and Galway
until 6pm today. However, a public safety notice for people around the
country to stay indoors has been withdrawn this morning.

“As expected [the storm] moved up across country and brought and is
continue to bring strong easterly winds,” Gerry Murphy of Met Eireann
told RTE radio.

“As well as that as it met the cold air it brought snow up over parts of
Leinster and Ulster.”

Cold air from the east clashed with warmer collided with strong winds
from the south east to produce snow of up to 60cm in depth, although a
meter of snow could yet fall on the country, according to forecasts.

“There will be continuation of that snowfall as we go through the day.
Leinster and Munster will continue get the bulk of that snow,” Mr Murphy
said. “The winds will continue quite strong along the coast”.

A number of people became stuck in their cars overnight when blizzards
hit making roads impassable and visibility was reduced to zero. People
remained stuck in their vehicles across Dublin.

“It seems some people may have left the city late in the day yesterday,
and judged local conditions in town as being manageable, but as they got
out of the city to where conditions were worse they got stuck,” said a
garda spokesman.

Last night a total of 115 homeless people were allocated beds in the
Extreme Cold Weather Accommodation in the sports centre in Dublin’s
South Inner City according to the Peter McVerry Trust.

Some 21 people were found to be sleeping rough despite the extreme
conditions. The team managed to persuade six to use the emergency
shelter.