CORK, KERRY AND THE WEST:LOCAL AUTHORITIES in Cork city and county were last night bracing themselves for possible flooding as Met Éireann forecast that heavy rain and gale force winds would hit the southwest today and tomorrow as rising temperatures led to a thawing of snow and ice.
Temperatures began to rise yesterday afternoon, resulting in some of the heavy snow which fell on Sunday afternoon turning to slush. The fear yesterday was that this could exacerbate localised flooding.
With the ground remaining frozen in most parts of the county, it is expected that run-off will be faster than usual as there will be little soakage, and areas along the Blackwater, Lee and Bandon river valleys are all bracing for possible flooding.
While temperatures rose yesterday afternoon, overnight subzero temperatures compounded problems caused by 5cm of snow on Sunday, with Cork airport having to be closed from 8.30pm on Sunday until about noon yesterday.
Meanwhile, Bus Éireann in Cork had to cancel or curtail several services, with the northside of the city particularly dangerous early yesterday. This led to a cancellation of all morning northside services, as well as several county services.
Cork City Council yesterday urged householders to conserve water as freezing temperatures over the weekend caused water mains to burst in a number of locations which resulted in some 8,000 householders being left without water.
Cork county manager Martin Riordan defended the council’s handling of road-gritting at yesterday’s council meeting, saying the council had to prioritise what routes were gritted given the huge length of roadway in the county. He said national routes were prioritised as if they were not kept open then smaller rural roads would be cut off.
Several centimetres of snow fell in Co Kerry on Sunday and into the early hours of yesterday, with upland areas experiencing up to 10 hours of snow showers.
In the Killarney area all roads were covered in several centimetres of snow, and a number of minor roads, such as the Burma road, were closed. Killarney gardaí advised against unnecessary travel.
The main Killarney to Tralee road between Farranfore and Killarney was barely passable in the Brennan’s Glen area.
Flights were unaffected at Kerry airport. However, bus services were curtailed. The Bus Éireann Cork and Limerick service began at 10am but was restricted.
There were no services to Caherciveen, Kenmare or Killorglin, and community transport buses were curtailed.
Widespread snowfalls across parts of Connacht at the weekend have been followed by a slight thaw, with public transport reported to be running, with some delays, on most routes.
Both Galway and Knock airports were open yesterday, but there were delays to some flights to and from Britain.
Driving conditions were very difficult on untreated secondary routes, and AA Roadwatch reported that the right lane of the M6 motorway between Galway and Ballinasloe was slippery.
Black ice following the overnight thaw made many local roads in Leitrim dangerous.
Gardaí and water safety experts in Co Mayo have issued a warning to keep away from frozen lakes in the region now that a general thaw has set in.
Due to a burst water pipe in a courtroom, Achill District Court will not go ahead this week. The Courts Service has adjourned all matters to March 11th.