Arctic weather conditions set to last until Sunday in Offaly

THE Arctic weather conditions look set to continue until Sunday next, according to the Met Eireann weather forecast for the Tullamore area.

Monday December 12 was the coldest day since 2010 with temperatures of between -1 and -5 degrees Celsius in many places around the country.

Freezing dense fog made driving hazardous around the midlands especially on untreated roads.

Meanwhile Met Eireann issued a freezing fog warning for Offaly along with 8 other counties and warned of treacherous conditions on paths and roads, a potential supply disruption and the possibility of burst pipes. A status yellow low temperature/ice warning has been extended until noon Friday December 16.

Offaly County Council has implemented its Winter Maintenance Programme and district staff are out gritting the roads morning and evening. The council has published a map of the routes where gritting is underway. All of the main roads are being treated as a priority while footpaths in towns are also being prioritised.

However, it is in housing estates that people need to be most careful as footpaths can be extremely slippery and dangerous especially for elderly people. The Road Safety Authority say that each winter slips and fall accidents cause serious injuries. ''Even when surfaces do not look especially icy or slippery, it is very possible that a thin sheet of transparent ice or “Black Ice” is covering your pathway putting you at risk,'' they say.

Offaly County Council is also recommending that people should read the Government's Winter Ready booklet which is available online and contains advice on how to keep safe and warm in the home during this icy snap.

Some of the guidance in the booklet includes having a small supply of non perishable easy-to-prepare foods available. Keeping an extra supply of essential medication in stock in case it is difficult to get to the doctor or pharmacy. In addition having an adequate supply of fuel for heating and cooking and if possible a suitable alternative should the main supply fail. Always have a water container filled to ensure a supply of drinking water and batteries for torches in the event of power cuts. Keep mobile phones charged up and have local emergency numbers in your phone.

Offaly County Council staff in Birr, Edenderry and Tullamore Municipal Districts continue to provide support as required in line with its Winter Maintenance Programme and Severe Weather Plan 2022-2023

(https://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Roads/Winter-Service/)

They say ''Our colleagues in Road Safety Authority Ireland provide additional guidance for driving in such hazardous weather conditions https://www.rsa.ie/road-safety/campaigns/severe-weather''

Meanwhile Met Eireann say that temperatures for the rest of the week in Tullamore will vary from 2 degrees to -3 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Friday will see temperatures dipping to -1 degree. Saturday will bring some improvement with temperatures of between 4 and 2 degrees Celsius. On Sunday temperatures are set to rise to 12 degrees only to see them dip again to between zero and 3 degrees Celsius on Monday.

They say ''there is a good deal of uncertainty in the forecast from Sunday onwards. Current indications suggest that it will turn more unsettled and milder with spells of rain at times.''

The forecast for tomorrow Wednesday December 14, is for dry weather with a good deal of crisp winter sunshine. Just a chance of isolated wintry showers near coasts. Highest temperatures of 1 to 5 degrees in mainly light northerly breezes.

Another very cold, frosty night on Wednesday night with lows of -6 to 0 degrees. Remaining generally clear and dry with light northerly breezes. Just isolated wintry showers in the north and northwest.

Largely dry and bright on Thursday with afternoon temperatures 2 to 5 degrees. Just occasional wintry showers continuing in the north and northwest. Light northwesterly breezes.