Offaly Issued With Wind Warning As Country Braces For Snow

By Justin Kelly

Met Éireann has issued five weather warnings tonight as the country prepares for another night of wintry conditions. Offaly has been included in a severe wind warning as winds are expected to reach gusts of over 130km/h. Other counties receiving wind warnings include: Dublin, Carlow, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Westmeath, Meath and Tipperary.

The Met Éireann warning comes after a day of snowfall throughout the country, with some parts seeing as much as 8cm. Another snowfall warning is in place for the west of the country as an Atlantic storm sweeps wind and sleet toward Ireland. These showers will fall as snow in some areas, while the remnants of the storm will bring heavy rain to the midlands as it passes over the country. Met Éireann has included Offaly in its heavy rain warning for Wednesday.

Met Éireann meteorologist Joan Blackburn told the media that we “will see the snow showers turn from sleet to rain with storm force winds in the western and northern areas. After that we will be back to cold conditions with normal wintry showers.”

Temperatures will plummet as low as -2 degrees overnight, and AA Roadwatch has warned about early morning driving conditions. Motorists are encouraged to take caution with the risk of icy roads, while high winds may lead to partially fallen trees across the country. Gardaí have also called for care to be taken on the roads throughout the country as conditions deteriorate.

Age Action Ireland have also encouraged people to check in with elderly neighbours during the current cold snap. Spokesman Eamonn Timmins has said that Age Action has advised elderly people to “dress in several layers of clothing, and not to venture out in the slippery conditions.” These people are very vulnerable and may need help and support from neighbours,” he said. 

The current cold spell is set to last for the foreseeable future, with temperatures forecast to fall even further again early next week.