CORK:Heavy flurries of snow fell in Cork city yesterday morning resulting in tricky driving conditions in many suburban areas as continuing heavy snow showers again led to dangerous driving conditions and the closure of many schools in west Cork.
Bus Éireann had to curtail some services for a period until Cork County Council staff gritted the roads and services were resumed. - Barry Roche
WEST
AS heavy snow fell across the west yesterday, Galway meteorologist Frank Gaffney said that the region was experiencing its coldest November since 1969.
Mr Gaffney, former technician at NUI Galway’s atmospheric research station in Carna, said that the mean temperature for this past month was 2.3 degrees below the four-week average.
Unexpectedly heavy snow falls early yesterday morning caused delays on all routes in Galway and Mayo. Bus services between Galway and Dublin and Westport and Dublin were disrupted, and there were also some delays to train journeys due to snow packing on points. The Defence Forces provided transport assistance to HSE healthcare workers and to Galway Hospice staff in outlying areas, while in Mayo an appeal was made by Foxford Social Services for volunteer SUV drivers to deliver hot meals. - Lorna Sigginsand Tom Shiel
MIDLANDS
MEMBERS of the Defence Forces were providing assistance in Co Westmeath yesterday where some hospital staff were offered overnight accommodation as midland weather conditions worsened.
Bus Éireann was forced to withdraw some bus services as a result of the snowfall. Many of the affected routes passed through Westmeath. Iarnród Éireann's services through Athlone were also disrupted with delays of a number of hours experienced on the Dublin to Galway and Westport lines due to the poor conditions in and around Athlone. Many midland schools are due to remain closed today. - Eoghan MacConnell
NORTH EAST
A slight thaw yesterday morning meant that Louth County Council was able to divert some salt for use in gritting on minor roads. The county crisis management team met again in County Hall yesterday morning and the council liaised with its three neighbouring local authorities on gritting routes. In Meath the continuing bad weather yesterday afternoon left trucks that were trying to make their way up Glasallen Hill north of Slane, in difficulty for a time. - Elaine Keogh
SOUTHEAST
Fresh snowfalls led to dangerous road conditions again and many rural schools remained closed across the southeast. Principals are continuing to monitor the weather and are updating parents through local radio stations and by text message. Many councils put interactive maps on their websites, showing the roads which are being gritted. Carlow County Council warned that regional roads had "deteriorated" on Monday night and early yesterday morning. -
Conor Kane