Get set for snowfall... but there’s no such pain in Spain

SNOW, sleet, ice and rain are forecast for much of the country today, with a series of Status Yellow weather warnings issued by Met Éireann.

The national forecaster’s Michelle Dillon urged people to be careful.

However, she said snow accumulations should be less than 3cm and that it will be a short-lived event. ‘We’re looking at a snow and ice warnings coming into effect for counties of north Munster and the midlands,’ said Ms Dillon.

She said that by this afternoon, most of the sleet, snow and ice will be further to the north, in parts of north Connacht and Ulster, and into the evening time will become confined to Ulster.

A Status Yellow snow-ice warning for Clare, Tipperary, Galway, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Wicklow came into place at 3am this morning, and will remain in effect until 1pm today.

A separate Status Yellow snow-ice warning will be in effect for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Longford until 8pm today, with sleet and snow expected, especially on higher ground.

Met Éireann is warning of hazardous travelling conditions, and ice on untreated surfaces in the affected counties. A Status Yellow rain warning for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Meath, Wexford and Wicklow will remain in place until 5am tomorrow.

The UK Met Office has also issued a Yellow snow and ice warning for Northern Ireland, and said a period of snowfall could bring disruption this morning and into tomorrow. This warning is in place from 10am today to 6am tomorrow.

By contrast, Spain has logged the country’s warmest January since records began in 1961, after temperatures neared 30C in some regions. The January temperatures exceeded the average for that month in Spain over the period 1991-2020 by 2.4 degrees.

The unseasonably warm weather lured people to beaches and outdoor cafés across the country. Scientists have linked scorching temperatures in many parts of the world, including southern Europe, to climate change.