IRELAND IS set for further rain and wintry weather today, which may lead to sleet and ice in many places.
Met Éireann is forecasting a sharp ground frost leading to icy surfaces in places tomorrow, extending to sleet and snow on high ground in Ulster on Good Friday.
The Glen of Imaal Mountain Rescue Team has advised motorists to stay away from high passes in Co Wicklow after snow stranded two motorists in the Sally Gap yesterday.
“Rescue teams have attempted to assess the danger, but failed to reach the Sally Gap despite driving specially adapted vehicles.
“Because of this, and the worsening conditions, we urge motorists to plan their journeys through Wicklow carefully,” a spokesperson for the team said.
More than 300 people had to be rescued from the Glenshane Pass, a mountainous route between Belfast and Derry, after deep snowdrifts cut off access at both ends of the road on Tuesday night.
Police, mountain rescue teams, the Coast Guard and personnel from the North’s Department of Environment launched a rescue operation to bring the travellers – which included schoolchildren whose bus was abandoned – to safety.
Evacuation centres were set up in Maghera and Dungiven in Co Derry to house the stranded, but a power cut to one of the rescue centres forced the authorities to move people to a leisure centre in Limavady.
North West Mountain Rescue team leader John Binns, who assisted in the evacuation, said: “The conditions were truly Arctic, with drifting snow and high winds making driving conditions extremely hazardous for the teams.”
Snow blizzards cut electricity to 75,000 homes throughout Ireland yesterday, as snowdrifts and fallen trees caused havoc on the country’s roads.
In the Republic, some 25,000 homes were without power yesterday morning. This figure dropped to 7,000 by evening, with the worst affected areas in the north and northwest of the country, according to a spokeswoman for the ESB.
The areas worst affected by power cuts in the North were in Co Derry and in the Omagh, Dungannon, Coleraine and Ballymena areas.
PSNI Chief Inspector Steve Cargin said he had never experienced such conditions.
“Really frightening conditions, not only for my officers and our support people, but for those people who were stranded in cars for such a long period of time, especially a busload of schoolchildren.”
Northern Ireland roads service manager Colin Brown said the weather last night was “unprecedented”.