Now the ice descends...

AFTER the floods... comes

the ice. A deluge caused traffic chaos across the country yesterday but worse could be on its way courtesy of plummeting temperatures.

Two housing estates in Mountmellick, Co. Laois, were evacuated after torrential rain caused the Owenass river to burst its banks.

Laois County Council said more than 50mm fell in two hours yesterday morning in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, forcing closure of the N80 and the evacuation of two schools.

The AA received almost 40 calls to flood-related car breakdowns after parts of Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Kerry, Limerick and Clare were swamped.

Dublin Fire Brigade said its Eastern Regional Centre, which takes calls for Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan, received 47 calls yesterday morning – compared to 14 the previous day – for mostly ‘weather-related’ incidents.

In Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin, council workers were out at 5.30am to clear blocked drains that were causing floods. Dublin Fire Brigade was pumping water to save a large number of houses from being flooded in parts of the capital. At one point, there was a 5km tailback to the Limerick Tunnel, while in Clare several motorists got stuck in flood waters on the Ennis to Scarriff road.

With temperatures set to plummet to freezing last night, the AA’s Conor Faughnan warned that ‘the risk of icy patches is greater as roads are still going to be wet’ and that motorists must adapt their behaviour accordingly.

Met Éireann said today will be bright but ‘bitterly cold with frost and ice’ as well as fresh northwesterly winds, while the north and northwest could see snow showers. Temperatures could dip to -2C in places, with maximum daytime temperatures from 4C to 7C.

The Road Safety Authority also warned of ‘blinding’ driving conditions due to low winter sun.