Darragh Nolan

Visibility is key Fog can seriously impact visibility on the roads but it's not the only thing impacting your ability to see on the road during the cold spell.

The decision by the Gardaí to publish images of 99 “persons of interest” involved in the Dublin riots is an “outsourcing of police work” and may lead to people being ‘doxxed’, a spokesperson for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said.

“Significant snowfall” is expected in five counties with a Status Orange snow and ice warning issued by Met Éireann to kick in from the early hours of Thursday morning.

Status Orange snow/rain warning for Cork and Waterford from 12am on Thursday until noon Status Orange snow/ice warning for Clare, Limerick and Tipperary from 12am on Thursday until noon Munster counties and Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow, Galway, Dublin and Roscommon under a Status Yellow warning for snow and ice from 9pm on Wednesday until 12pm on Thursday Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning issued for the entire country – valid from 8pm tonight until 10am on Thursday “Significant snowfall” is expected in five counties with a Status Orange snow and ice warning issued by Met Éireann to kick in from the early hours of Thursday morning.

Heavy snow began falling on parts of the country Wednesday night as Met Éireann warned of difficult and dangerous conditions amid Status Orange and Yellow snow and ice warnings.

Status Orange snow/rain warning for Cork and Waterford from 12am on Thursday until noon Status Orange snow/ice warning for Galway, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary from 12am on Thursday until noon 19 counties are now under a yellow snow-ice warning in updated guidance Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning issued for the entire country – valid from 8pm tonight until noon on Thursday

Three weather warnings remain in place this morning as Met Éireann warn of a "very cold and treacherous start" to the day.

| Status Orange snow/rain/ice warning for Cork, Waterford, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary in place until noon 19 counties are now under a Status Yellow snow-ice warning in updated guidance Schools confirm closures in the west, with other schools opening late today Several collisions, jackknifed trucks and road delays reported in Mayo and Galway 7-Day Weather Forecast: 18th November - 24th November 2024 Sarah O'Mahony, Darragh Nolan, Ralph Riegel and Denise Calnan Today at 00:17 Met Éireann is warning of a “very cold and treacherous start” to the morning. Weather warnings are currently in place until noon today, Thursday. 5 minutes ago Denise Calnan Catching up? Five things to note so far this morning: Areas of Limerick, Kerry, Mayo, Galway, Tipperary, Cork and Clare witnessed heavy overnight snowfall Number of school closures in the west, with other schools opening late today Temperatures could sink to as low as minus 5C with parts of six counties set to prove two degrees colder overnight than Copenhagen and potentially even icier than Stockholm Gardaí are reporting treacherous conditions on the roads, especially between Castlebar and Westport and on the N5, in Co Mayo this morning Status Orange snow/rain/ice warning for Cork, Waterford, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary in place until noon and 19 counties are now under a Status Yellow snow-ice warning in updated guidance Today Denise Calnan The current weather warnings in place are: Status Orange snow/rain warning for Cork and Waterford from 12am on Thursday until noon Status Orange snow/ice warning for Galway, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary from 12am on Thursday until noon 19 counties are now under a yellow snow-ice warning in updated guidance Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning issued for the entire country – valid from 8pm tonight until noon on Thursday Just now Denise Calnan 12 minutes ago Denise Calnan Schools closures A number of schools in the west are closed this morning - with schools in Castlebar, Claremorris and Tooreen all closed for the day. - Eavan Murray 14 minutes ago Denise Calnan And another view from Westport.... This photo was taken at 7.50am this morning. 16 minutes ago Denise Calnan A peek around the country on some traffic cameras... Druminndoo Upper in Westport, Co Mayo shows significant snowfall in the west overnight 17 minutes ago Seoirse Mulgrew Heavy snowfall caused travel misery for thousands of commuters today across Munster and Connacht as some schools opted to open late to ease travel worries for families. Areas of Limerick, Kerry, Mayo, Galway, Tipperary, Cork and Clare witnessed heavy overnight snowfall. Bizarrely, some areas avoided snow altogether - with Mallow, Kanturk and Donoughmore in Cork witnessing overnight snowfalls while Fermoy, just 40km away, had little more than sleet and heavy rain. The Galtee and Comeragh Mountains were covered in a blanket of snow while many roads on higher ground were reported to be impassable, particularly in west Cork and Kerry. Some of the heaviest snowfalls were in Mayo and Galway. Snowfalls were also reported at Cork Airport though flight operations are not expected to be impacted. Temperatures could sink to as low as minus 5C with parts of six counties set to prove two degrees colder overnight than Copenhagen and potentially even icier than Stockholm. Met Éireann's Aoife Kealy warned that the remainder of the week will be exceptionally cold - with challenging conditions overnight on Wednesday into Thursday morning. "It is going to be very cold for the rest of the working week," she said. "The icy stretches are going to linger in places and that is going to make travelling conditions quite difficult. "On top of that, there will be falls of sleet and snow overnight , particularly over southern counties, so it will be very important to take that extra bit of care when out and about. "Rain will spread across the southern half of the country tonight, turning to sleet and snow at times away from coasts with some accumulations possible. "Further north it will be mostly dry with scattered wintry showers continuing in Ulster and north Connacht. It will be very cold with lowest temperatures of minus 4 to 0C in light to moderate easterly or variable winds. Widespread frost and ice will develop. "Thursday will see outbreaks of rain, sleet and snow - they will clear to the south tomorrow morning, leaving another very cold day with showers of rain, sleet and snow, most frequent across Connacht, Ulster and west Munster. "Some icy stretches will linger through the day with temperatures reaching just 1 to 4C in light to moderate north-westerly winds, fresher near northern coasts." - Ralph Riegel 20 minutes ago Denise Calnan No snow in north Cork... Our southern correspondent Ralph Riegel stepped outside this morning hoping for a bán landscape... but was met with sleet and rain. No snowflakes for Cork yet this season... 23 minutes ago Denise Calnan Weather and traffic reports from the west: Gardaí are reporting treacherous conditions on the roads, especially between Castlebar and Westport and on the N5, in Co Mayo this morning. A number of trees are down due to heavy snowfall. Galway also saw heavy snow overnight, and a number of incidents have been reported on the M6 motorway. Gardaí are reporting a crash near Junction 14 on the westbound carriageway between Loughrea and Athenry, and another collision on the motorway between the Ballinasloe exits. Locals report some roads around Connemara to be impassable. There are also reports of jackknifed trucks, with one diversion in place between Moycullen and Oughterard after a truck jackknifed, blocking the N59. There have also been reports of a number of minor collisions in Galway city this morning. 36 minutes ago Denise Calnan "People sleeping on the streets are often the most vulnerable" Tony Geoghegan, interim chief executive of the Sinmon Communities Ireland speaking to RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland: "When we have the cold snaps like this, all the Simon Communities around the country get into gear... we try and get homeless people in off the street. "All the Simon Communities and other NGOs in Ireland, when there is a cold weather initiative we try and provide extra beds. "Particularly, the worry around this time of year is hypothermia," Mr Geoghegan continued. "people sleeping on the streets are often the most vulnerable, they often also suffer from serious mental health issues." Speaking about people who are homeless trying to find warmth and shelter, he said; "Absolutely, we've seen that recently in Cork - where an outreach team found a woman sleeping under a soft skip, that was her trying to stay warm and make herself discreet." - Denise Calnan 44 minutes ago Denise Calnan An amazing photo on the front of today's Irish Independent of deer grazing in a snow covered forest in Kippure, Co. Wicklow, courtesy of photographer Damien Eagers Damien Eagers Photography 48 minutes ago Denise Calnan 49 minutes ago Denise Calnan 51 minutes ago Denise Calnan Today Denise Calnan In Northern Ireland the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice and snow until 10am on Thursday morning. Temperatures are expected to drop below zero overnight, with lows of -4C possible in Omagh, Co Tyrone. The Met Office said icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces during Wednesday evening and overnight into Thursday, and a few sleet or snow showers are also likely at times, particularly close to coasts. Today Denise Calnan Members of Cork City Council gritting footpaths in the city ahead of yellow warnings for Ireland as snow and ice arrive and temperatures plummet. Mark Condren Today Denise Calnan Today Denise Calnan Safe motoring Gardaí have urged all motorists to check that their cars are winter-ready - including functioning headlights and foglights, good windshield wipers and proper tyre depths. Motorists have also been urged to ensure they have warm clothing or a blanket in their vehicle in case of emergencies. Today Denise Calnan Homeless groups working through bad weather Elderly support groups have urged people to check on any vulnerable people living near them and that they have proper heating, clothing and foodstuffs. Homeless action charities are working to ensure all those sleeping rough have access to an emergency shelter to avoid the worst of the Siberian weather. Today Denise Calnan Election canvassing Concern over the cold conditions is heightened by the fact that a large number of people are out each evening canvassing for the November 29 General Election. Today Denise Calnan Morning Commute The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has warned that driving conditions will be challenging due to ice and snow. The worst of the conditions are expected on secondary roads, many of which may not be treated by gritting lorries. Conditions will also be challenging for animals with all owners asked to check on the care of their stock. Cork Co Council said its gritting lorry fleet is prepared and ready. However, many secondary roads may not get treated. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) urged motorists to drive with extreme care. Those in Status Orange areas have been urged to only undertake necessary journeys - and to allow extra time for travelling, to slow down, allow extra braking distance to cars ahead and to be mindful of pedestrians in the challenging conditions.

Status Orange snow/rain/ice warning for Cork, Waterford, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary finishes at noon Schools confirm closures in the west, with other schools opening late today Several collisions, jackknifed trucks and road delays reported in Mayo and Galway Nationwide Status Yellow warning extended until Friday Met Éireann confirm named storm Storm Bert to hit Ireland this weekend

Forecasters have confirmed Storm Bert will hit Ireland this weekend – and a nationwide Status Yellow low temperature warning has been extended until Friday.