NORTHEAST:The Brú na Bóinne Visitors Centre, which caters for all visitors to Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth monuments, will be closed today because of the weather.
The biggest difficulty for motorists in Meath remained the approach roads to Slane.
A spokeswoman for Meath County Council said: “All roads on approved gritting routes are passable with care. Extreme care is still required on N2 around Slane and Ashbourne.”
The council reduced water pressure in some parts of Navan on Wednesday night and appealed to people to "only use water for essential purposes. Any leaks or water wastage should be reported to the council." Elaine Keogh
SOUTHEAST
More heavy snowfall on Wednesday night and early yesterday morning made road conditions even worse across large sections of the southeast.
The Dublin-Waterford motorway through Co Carlow was in a dangerous condition along with busy routes like the Gorey bypass in Co Wexford.
Parts of Waterford city were described as “extremely hazardous” after significant snowfall. Kilkenny dealt with 15cm of snow. Carlow County Council said roads in the area were worse yesterday with Carlow town impassable for much of the day.
“Conditions remain harsh,” the council said.
Flights at Waterford Regional Airport were suspended for the day but management was hoping that normal service could resume this morning. Conor Kane
WEST-NORTHWEST
An elderly man found dead outside his home in Claremorris, Co Mayo, early yesterday may have perished because of the Arctic conditions.
The body of Tom Connolly, a pensioner in his 70s, was discovered by a relative outside his front door at Luí Na Gréine, Claremorris, at about 10.30am yesterday.
It is understood the body had been in the open since about 9pm the previous night. Temperatures in the Claremorris area had plunged well below zero overnight on Wednesday.
Mr Connolly, who had been socialising on Wednesday night, was left home by a taxi. His body was discovered on his doorstep.
He was brought to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar yesterday to await a postmortem.
The northwest was last night preparing for another huge snowfall overnight. Crews at Donegal and Sligo airports were on standby to keep their runways clear and passengers have been asked to check the airport’s websites this morning.
Water supplies in Co Leitrim are under threat due to an increase in consumption. The situation has not been helped by a power surge at the water treatment plant in Kinlough which will mean even more disruption to supplies in the coming days.
In Donegal people were being advised not to drive last night unless absolutely necessary.
Michael McGarvey, senior engineer with Donegal County Council, said that although many of the main roads had been well-treated, a heavy fall of snow could make conditions bad again.
Many people living in rural areas across the northwest have been snowed in since the cold spell began last weekend. T om Shiel and Stephen Maguire
MIDLANDS
The Army was out in force in the midlands yesterday with more than 50 Defence Force members carrying out more than 20 operations throughout the region.
The troops have been providing transport for medical staff and supplying meals on wheels. The operations, involving 25 vehicles, were carried out in Offaly, Westmeath and east Galway where heavy snow has caused transport difficulties.
Main routes remained open throughout the region with the M4/N4 Kinnegad to Longford motorway operating on a single lane basis in both directions.
A similar situation exists on the N6/M6 Kinnegad to Athlone motorway and authorities are asking motorist not to use the overtaking lanes on these routes.
Motorists in Co Laois are being advised to exercise extreme care on the N80 between Two-Mile Bridge and the Offaly border. The “cut” road between Mountrath and Clonaslee remains closed to traffic.
All major routes have been salted in Co Offaly but some roads remain treacherous with compacted snow in places. The Kinnitty- Mountrath Road remains closed.
Water supplies were interrupted for a second day in Co Westmeath when a water main burst in Cartrontroy area of Athlone. More than 40 schools in Westmeath, Laois and Offaly have confirmed they will remain closed today. Eoghan MacConnell
CORK
Cork city continued to escape the worst of the weather yesterday as west Cork and east Cork remained in the grip of heavy snowdrifts from earlier in the week and freezing temperatures.
Cork City Council crews were out early yesterday morning salting the main roads as well as footpaths and bridges resulting in good motoring conditions through the city and suburbs.
Bus Éireann succeeded in maintaining a near full schedule of services out of Cork, al though a number of services, such as to Crosshaven, Ringaskiddy and Macroom, were confined to the main roads.
In west Cork, a large number of schools remained close as driving conditions on secondary roads remained treacherous amid freezing temperatures while some schools in east Cork also closed for the day. Barry Roche