Status Red Weather Warning Issued For 5 Counties In Leinster. Have You Been Affected?

A status red alert has been issued by MET Eireann for Dublin, Meath, Wicklow, Louth and Kildare. Heavy snowfall overnight has led to accumulations of between 5 and 10 cm, with further snowfall expected as the day goes on.

The national meteorological service issued a statement this morning which read, “Snow showers will continue to occur during today and again tonight with further accumulations. Total snowfall up to midday Thursday may reach 25cm.”

Unsurprisingly, the severe weather has led to widespread travel disruption. Dublin Bus is still operating but with very limited service. Their website was updated at 10:05am to say, “there will be significant disruption to services this morning. Our services are operating on main corridors due to poor road conditions.” Busses will be avoiding housing estates and roads with steep inclines.

Luas services are experiencing delays too. This morning they tweeted, “We have trams running very reduced frequency on both lines. Redline running Saggart to the Point and Greenline Sandyford to Broombridge only. Extremely limited service.” Since then, services have improved, but there is a wait of fifteen minutes between each tram on both the red and green lines.

For those of you who are travelling through Dublin Airport today, there have been a number of disruptions to flights. While runways and taxiways are now clear, “there are a number of flight cancellations, delays and diversions to the flight schedule.” The airport has advised passengers to check the latest flight information with their airline before arriving.

There have been some cancellations at Cork Airport too, affecting passengers travelling with Aer Lingus. However, snow and slush have been cleared from the runways and services are expected to resume shortly.

Meanwhile, conditions on the M50 have been described on social media as “treacherous” and “lethal”. Dublin City Council has said “the on-ramp from the N3 inbound to the M50 northbound is impassable at the moment as a truck is stuck halfway down. Avoid if possible.” Meanwhile, AA Roadwatch has said that “the off-ramp from the M1 southbound to J2 Dublin Airport is blocked by a truck stuck in poor conditions.”

As well as that, An Garda Siochana tweeted, “Gardai have dealt with a number of minor incidents at junctions including Newcastle Road, Lucan, and Tolka Valley Road/Ratoath Road.” They have called on drivers to reduce speed and increase braking distance. They also added, “When driving in snow showers during daylight hours, use dipped headlights (not daytime running lights). It’s also recommended to drive in a higher gear to avoid wheel spins. Pedestrians – use footpaths where provided and appreciate that drivers may have difficulty stopping in snowy conditions.”

Many schools have been closed across the region, but the decisions are being made by individual Boards of Management, so check with your local school for more details.