Blizzards to bring gales of 110kmh
■ Arctic blast as Storm Emma meets the Beast from the East ■ School closures and travel disruption feared in -7C chill ■ Status Orange warning for whole country as snow hits hard ■ No doubling of fuel allowance to help the elderly stay warm
BLIZZARDS with storm-force winds of up to 110kmh are forecast to batter the country as the Beast from the East meets Storm Emma.
The Defence Forces and emergency services are on standby to cope with what could be the worst weather the State has experienced since 1982.
The ESB is warning of prolonged power outages as temperatures plummet to as low as –7C. School closures and travel disruption are also feared.
The first of the heavy snow is forecast to fall from today, with Met Éireann expected to impose a Status Orange warning for the whole country. However, it could be escalated to Status Red.
“It is very exceptional. It’s not normal,” Met Éireann forecaster Evelyn Cusack said. However, the weekly fuel allowance will not be doubled to ensure older people stay warm during the big freeze, because it would cost €7.6m.
BLIZZARDS with storm-force winds of up to 110kmh are forecast to hit the country from tomorrow.
The Defence Forces and emergency services are on standby to cope with what could be the worst weather the State has experienced since 1982.
The ESB is warning of prolonged power outages as temperatures plummet to as low as -7C and there may also be thunder and lightning.
The first of the heavy snow is forecast to fall from today, with Met Éireann expected to impose a Status Orange warning for the whole country. However, it could be escalated to Status Red if the situation deteriorates.
A red weather warning has only been issued on six occasions since the system was introduced in 2013 – and only for rainstorms, never for snow.
“It is very exceptional. It’s not normal,” Met Éireann forecaster Evelyn Cusack said.
Snow is expected to fall throughout today to “potentially disruptive levels”, particularly across the east, although all areas will be at risk.
Then Storm Emma will connect with the ‘Beast from the East’ from late afternoon tomorrow, meaning conditions will worsen. This will first hit in Cork, Waterford and Wexford, before spreading across most parts of the country.
“What’s happening is the cold polar easterly air will produce some showers (of snow),” Ms Cusack said. “As Emma moves in, it’s going to clash with the cold polar air and that’s producing the continuous snow we’re forecasting for Thursday and Friday accompanied by strong to gale force easterly winds. We’re talking about maybe 100 or 110kmh (winds), affecting chiefly easterly and southern areas, and there’s high tides as well.”
She said the snow was expected to be “pretty significant”, and sub-zero temperatures were likely to remain in place over the weekend. While the maximum daytime temperatures would be 1C, with wind chill it would “feel like -5C”, she added.
Sean Hogan, chairman of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG), said the forecasted weather was an “exceptional event”.
“We’re dealing with nature and there’s a good deal of uncertainty in that. Nonetheless, events are unfolding as Met Éireann has predicted with snow showers and an exceptional event,” he said.
Gritting
He said local authorities would continue gritting roads, while the Defence Forces were ready to conduct aerial surveys of affected areas if safe to do so.
“If there are situations where we find ourselves in a scenario where motorists are in difficulty on roads, we will be calling on our Defence Forces colleagues to assist with 4x4s and 6x6s.”
Advice for schools and businesses around closures will be given following a meeting of the NECG this morning, but he urged the public to prepare for the worst.
“We’re fairly sure there’ll be snow, we’re fairly sure there’ll be wind, when you put those together into blizzard conditions, it’s the impact that will have will be the uncertainty,” he said.
“We are using the opportunity to advise people, whether householders or motorists or business, to plan ahead.”
He also urged people not to run their taps to prevent pipes freezing, saying they would deplete reservoirs and result in water shortages. There was no issue with water supply at the moment, he added.
He also said that some people were buying additional supplies of food and water, and that part of the national response was ensuring that the supply chain continued to operate.
Meanwhile, some homeless women who are rough sleepers were left waiting for a bed until late last night due to the sheer numbers seeking emergency accommodation.
It is understood that with high numbers of women seeking beds last night, some had to wait until after 10pm to get accommodation.
A Dublin Regional Homeless Executive spokeswoman said beds were booked up during the day with service providers giving a cut-off point for these to be taken up before they went back into the system. However she was confident enough beds would be available.