Severe snowfall levels not seen for 36 years to cover country

‘Keep warm – that’s the basic message’

IT’S set to be an ‘exceptionally cold week’ across the country, with the looming ‘Beast from the East’ expected to bring blizzard conditions that haven’t been seen on our shores for more than 35 years.

Speaking yesterday at the meeting of the National Emergency Coordination Group for Severe Weather, Met Éireann’s Evelyn Cusack said the weather system expected over the next few days, officially known as Storm Emma, hasn’t occurred since the major snowfall of 1982.

Bitter temperatures as low as -7C and heavy snow showers have been forecast with school and business closures becoming necessary if the impact worsens.

The forecaster added that snow showers are likely to begin this evening, with a combination of snow, gale force winds and thunderstorms expected to result in heavy snowfall on Thursday night.

Counties Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Wicklow and Meath are to get snow showers, accumulations of between 4cm and 6cm and widespread frost and icy conditions.

Meanwhile, a status yellow weather warning remains in place for counties Kilkenny, Longford, Wexford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford.

That warning promises snow accumulations of up to 3cm as well as widespread frost and ice.

Ms Cusack said: ‘All week, it is going to be exceptionally cold with penetrating frost.’

She added that although temperatures won’t hit record-breaking depths, Arctic winds will lead to incredibly cold conditions.

Seán Hogan, coordination group chairman, had one vital warning for the public: ‘Keep warm – that’s the basic message, keep warm.

‘We would ask people to watch the forecast and the warnings that will be issued by Met Éireann in the days ahead because this weather system is going to impact on people, on everybody across the country so people need to watch out for this, be aware that this weather is coming.

Mr Hogan urged the public to be ‘resilient’ and make the necessary preparations.

Eoghan Murphy, Housing, Planning and Local Government Minister, said a status red weather warning could be issued in the east and south.

‘It certainly has the potential in the south and the east of the country to become a status red warning on Thursday or Friday. Whether that happens in the rest of the country remains to be seen,’ he added.