Here is the latest as the cold weather continues across the country:
- Temperatures dropped to as low as 7.5 degrees overnight.
- New Orange warning issued for Thursday night until Friday morning.
- Situation should be over within "next 24 to 48 hours".
- Thousands of people remain without water.
Road conditions continue to be “lethal” in parts of county Limerick with many roads impassable with people living in remote areas still without power according to Councillor Liam Galvin.
“There’s very little improvement here,” he told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show. Cllr Galvin went on to praise the efforts of ESB crews, council staff and Uisce Eireann.
The scale of the effort was “just phenomenal” he said. Frozen snow was like concrete which meant that snow ploughs were not able to do the work for which they were designed, he added.
Limerick county council has established a “humanitarian phone line” for people who need provisions which Cllr Galvin urged people to call if they were impacted by the extreme weather conditions.
Cllr Galvin emphasised the need for better planning and coordination between various agencies to prepare for such extreme weather events in the future, and the importance of involving the public in the process to improve communication and response efforts.
Another orange weather warning for low temperatures and ice was issued on Thursday morning for counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Roscommon and Tipperary.
Travel disruption and delays and poor visibility are expected in affected areas for this warning which applies from 7pm on Thursday to 8am on Friday.
A yellow warning for low temperatures and ice covers all of Ireland until midday on Friday, with widespread frost, ice, lying snow and some patches of freezing fog expected. Potential travel disruption and poor visibility are also possible.
In the North, a yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for counties Antrim, Derry and Fermanagh until 11am on Thursday, while a yellow warning for freezing fog expired at 9am.
The national director for Fire and Emergency Management, Keith Leonard has said that the current severe weather situation should be over within “the next 24 to 48 hours.”
The focus for the emergency team is to “keep the country moving” and ensuring that roads are clear and that public transport is operating, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
A number of areas still remain without power and water, he acknowledged and the priority is returning such services, “but there is light at the end of the tunnel with conditions improving tomorrow.
“We're hoping that the power issues will be pretty much resolved, I think, in the next 24 hours. Water, I understand, might take a little bit longer, but by the weekend we would hope to have normal operations across all categories.”
The national emergency team will meet today to consider the situation and may meet again tomorrow, he said. “But I would expect if we have to meet tomorrow, that will be the last meeting of this current severe cold weather period.”
Aoibhinn Twomey, Communications manager with The Road Safety Authority is urging motorists to allow extra time for journeys and to drive with “extreme caution” during the current “big freeze.”
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Ms Twomey said it was important not to accelerate or brake suddenly and to drive in the highest possible gear.
It was important to leave room between the car in front to allow time to correct in case of a skid, she said.
The main message was to “take it slowly”.
Met Éireann forecaster Matthew Martin has warned the public that travel conditions will continue to be hazardous on Thursday as temperatures will not rise above freezing which means there will not be a thaw.
Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said there will also be freezing fog in parts of the country which will make driving even more challenging.
The lowest temperature recorded on Wednesday night was minus 7.5 degrees Celsius in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, he added, which is a long way from the lowest temperature ever recorded which was minus 19.1 degrees recorded in Sligo in 1881.
Temperatures dipped to minus seven degrees overnight as a status orange low temperature and ice warning remains in place for most of the country except Donegal until 11 this morning.
The weather station in Mullingar in Co Westmeath recorded a low of minus 7.5 degrees, while Athenry in Co Galway saw a low of minus 7.1 degrees overnight.
A status yellow low temperature and ice warning will remain in place for the entire country until lunchtime on Friday.
Road temperatures remain below freezing with motorists being warned to prepare for black ice even on treated roads.
Thursday morning is very cold this morning widespread frost and ice lingering. Sunny spells will develop later with just a scattering of cloud in a cold northerly breeze.
Highest temperatures will be zero to four degrees.
Thursday night will be very cold and dry with frost setting in early, with temperatures set to drop to as low as minus seven.
Around 500 people remain without power across the country on Thursday morning, as the ESB are asking anyone affected by outages in Limerick, North Cork and Tipperary to attend their local hotel for support.
About 4,500 people were without water by Wednesday afternoon, according to Uisce Éireann, with a majority of affected customers in Co Tipperary.
