Motorists warned of hazardous road conditions

MOTORISTS HAVE been warned that this weekend will be the coldest of the year with overnight temperatures plummeting as low as minus five degrees in places.

All parts of the country could see falls of snow this weekend as showers from the north turn to snow especially on high ground.

Met Éireann’s five-day forecast is predicting freezing temperatures up until the middle of next week with temperatures moderating after that.

There is unlikely to be a white Christmas.

“Anywhere could [have] a snow shower this evening and tonight,” said Met Éireann forecaster Joan Blackburn.

Connacht and Ulster and west Munster are likely to get the worst of any snowfall in the coming days with the likelihood of falls increasing in inland areas.

Temperatures countrywide are likely to be no more than two to six degrees during the day, falling to between minus four and minus five degrees at night. The cold weather will continue into the middle of next week.

The freezing conditions have already affected motorists with AA logging 120 call-outs yesterday

AA Roadwatch has issued a warning to motorists to avoid driving unless necessary and to be vigilant while driving after dark.

Roadwatch controller Nicola Hudson said there was real danger of black ice, especially early in the morning.

“Road temperatures are often far lower than the air temperature and often drivers may not realise the roads are still icy,” she said.

“On these dark mornings, roads often refreeze around 7.30am or 8am, as we saw this morning, and there were a number of crashes as a result. “National primary roads will be the first to be treated, but even roads that are used regularly can be badly affected. Keep an eye on motorways and secondary routes.”

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said all motorists should be aware of the snow and foggy conditions which would make driving much more difficult.

“Widespread severe frosts often lead to icy roads. It can take much longer to stop a vehicle on icy roads, so slow down and allow a safe extra distance between you and the vehicle in front,” Mr Dempsey said. “Snowfall will reduce visibility, so use dipped headlights and decrease your speed.”

The Garda also reiterated its Christmas and new year safety campaign. This year assistant commissioner for traffic Kevin Ludlow appealed to pedestrians and cyclists to wear high-visibility or fluorescent clothing.

Several early-morning flights from Ireland to the south of England were delayed by up to three hours yesterday as snow closed Gatwick and Luton. Heathrow said 70 flights to and from the airport scheduled throughout the day had been cancelled, although both its runways had remained open.