Cork County Council urges motorists to take extra caution as ...

Latest: Cork County Council has urged motorists to take extra caution on the roads this morning due to difficult driving conditions. 

The local authority said its severe weather assessment team convened this morning as Met Éireann's status orange snow and rain warning for Cork remains in place until midday.

"Heavy rain overnight has transitioned to sleet and snow leading to dangerous driving conditions across the county. 

"The worst affected areas include Newmarket, Rockchapel, Charleville, Mitchelstown, Macroom, Millstreet and Coachford," the council said. 

"Council crews carried out pre-emptive gritting overnight and have been repeating salting and gritting since early this morning. Snow ploughs have also been deployed where required and crews are progressing on a priority basis.

"Motorists are being urged to drive with extreme care even on roads that have been gritted. 

"Hazardous driving conditions may persist throughout the day. 

"If a journey must be undertaken, please slow down, allow extra time and be aware of other roads users, especially vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists."

For more information about Cork County Council’s winter service plan, including road treatment routes, visit the council's website. 

Issues can be reported to your local council office from the hours of 9am to 5pm details of which can be found by visiting www.corkcoco.ie.

Cork County Council said crews will continue to monitor the weather and conditions throughout the day. 

Earlier: Heavy overnight rain has this morning turned to light snow in Cork city as a status orange weather warning remains in place.

Met Éireann's latest forecast for Munster warns of some spot flooding across parts of the province. 

"Outbreaks of snow, sleet and rain will clear most areas by mid-morning, and southern counties by midday," according to the national forecaster. 

"While some sunny spells will develop, scattered wintry showers will follow into Atlantic counties. 

"Icy stretches will linger through the day in place with maximum temperatures of just 1 to 4 degrees. 

"Northeasterly winds will be rather brisk across southern counties starting out; light to moderate in strength elsewhere."

A status orange snow and rain warning for Cork which came into effect at midnight will be in place until midday.

A countrywide status yellow low temperature and ice warning also remains in place until midday.

Yesterday: A significant number of schools across Cork will open later than usual tomorrow, given the weather warning coming into effect tonight.

Motorists are advised not to make unnecessary journeys, and those using public transport are advised to check for timetable updates.

A Met Éireann status orange snow and rain warning for Cork comes into place at midnight tonight and will be in place until midday tomorrow.

Status yellow low temperature, snow-ice warnings are also in place.

County Cork

Cork County Council has said that they will have fleets out salting and gritting roads tonight ahead of the cold snap.

Met Éireann issued a status orange snow and rain warning for Cork earlier today, which will come into place at midnight, and will remain in effect until midday tomorrow.

Status yellow low temperature, snow-ice warnings are also in place, with heavy rain forecast overnight, transitioning to freezing conditions, sleet and snow early in the morning.

A full fleet has been deployed to carry out pre-emptive gritting on priority one and priority two routes and will be extended to treat priority three routes as resources allow.

Motorists are being urged to avoid unnecessary journeys and drive with extreme care even on roads that have been gritted.

If a journey must be undertaken, the council is asking that drivers please slow down, allow extra time and be aware of other roads users, especially vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Council crews will repeat salting and gritting from early tomorrow morning, progressing on a priority basis and targeting areas most affected.

Local crews will also be activated in urban areas to address key locations.

Members of the public are advised to be mindful of icy surface conditions and to take extra care while walking; to check on vulnerable and isolated neighbours; and to keep phones charged and with you on all journeys.

In case of an emergency, the public is being reminded to dial 999 or 112.

Cork city

Speaking to The Echo, director of operations at Cork City Council David Joyce said that Cork city is not likely to be impacted as severely as other areas in Cork.

“While there is an orange warning in place, we are not expecting the five inches of snow in the city that they might get in North and East Cork."

Crews are tasked with gritting roads across the city overnight.

He continued: "We’re not expecting a significant ice and snow event in the city itself, [but] crews will be on standby to respond to any specific localised issues that might arise. 

"With the nature of the weather, public transport services may experience some level of delays, so we would advise people to check with their local provider to ensure that the service they’re looking to utilise is fully operating.”

Public transport

Bus Éireann has advised all intending passengers, “particularly those in the South-West of the country”, to check the ‘Service Updates’ section of its website, buseirean.ie, before travelling, advising that there is the potential for disruption to services due to adverse weather conditions.

“Bus Eireann will continue to monitor weather advisories, issued by Met Éireann, as well as road conditions in the coming days, and any service disruptions will be posted on our website,” a spokesperson said.

“The safety of our passengers and staff is of paramount importance to Bus Éireann and we would encourage all customers to plan their journeys in advance, allowing extra time for their journey, during this period of adverse weather.” 

Schools

Meanwhile, the Department of Education has referred schools to “the useful advice contained in the Government’s ‘Be Winter Ready’ campaign”.

“The ‘Be Winter Ready’ website includes advice for schools on dealing with issues related to weather conditions, including colour-coded warnings and health and safety and direct links to relevant circulars,” a department spokesperson said.

“Areas for consideration include maintenance of premises and utilities, salting and gritting and transport to and from school and having regard to local conditions."

A number of schools in Cork have delayed their opening times for tomorrow morning.

The advice can be accessed online at https://tinyurl.com/h9vpwsep