It’s baa-ltic!
With some parts of Cork entering their sixth day of extreme cold weather and hazardous conditions, hopes are high that tomorrow will finally bring a long-awaited thaw.
Today, Thursday, at 11am, Cork will move out of the status orange warning for cold and ice and into status yellow along with the rest of the country. The nationwide yellow warning will remain in place until 12pm on Friday.
The overall Met Éireann forecast for Cork tomorrow shows a low of six degrees Celsius and a high of nine.
This will come as a huge relief to many around the Rebel County, with some areas recording up to 13 inches of snow in recent days.
Locals were left stunned by what felt like unprecedented levels of snow fall in north-west, north, and mid Cork since Sunday which led to massive disruption to travel and business, with many schools being forced to close.
Charleville was especially badly hit with a number of businesses experiencing extensive damage.
Large scale cleanup efforts are ongoing in the region.
Conditions remain extremely challenging on many routes in north-west and north Cork where lying snow continues to be an issue, Cork County Council confirmed.
The council reminded the public that if their journey is essential, to drive with caution, be aware of other road users, and allow extra time for the trip. The council said if a road has been treated by a gritter or snowplough, the public should not assume that the road is safe to travel.
Council crews are continuing to treat priority routes, however, due to the low temperatures, widespread icy patches can be expected even on treated roads. Some schools remain closed.
Diversions remain in place westbound on the R585 in West Cork due to icy conditions. Traffic is advised to divert via the R587 at Shanlaragh to Dunmanway and then via the R586/N71 to Bantry.
The R579 Banteer to Nadd and the Newmarket to Rockchapel roads are now passable with caution. Cork Airport’s main runway remains open having been forced to close earlier in the week resulting in a number of flights being diverted to Dublin.
Services
Uisce Éireann crews have restored water supply to impacted customers in Blarney, and surrounding areas following a burst watermain and operational issues along the network. As the network refills and supplies return throughout the night, customers in the impacted areas may experience intermittent disruption or low water pressure. ESB Networks teams continue to work to restore power to homes, farms, and businesses in the south-west region. However, the company said it expects power restoration to take a number of days in areas that are worst affected due to the hazardous weather conditions and accessibility challenges. Information on power outages and restoration times is available on powercheck.ie.
Public transport continues to operate today, but people are advised to check with their operator before undertaking any journeys, as services may be affected depending on local conditions.