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Snow, ice and heavy rain are set to sweep over Ireland this weekend with two status orange weather alerts issued by Met Éireann.
The national weather forecaster says that this evening will see widespread rain, turning to sleet and snow in places. Some accumulations of snow are possible later, especially in the midlands and south, in moderate southeast winds.
Tonight’s forecast is for a cold and breezy might with widespread rain, sleet and snow. Significant accumulations of snow are expected in some areas, especially in the south midlands and west. In eastern and southern coastal areas, this will mostly fall as rain and sleet, though some localised snowfall will occur.
Heavy rain in southern coastal areas may result in localised flooding, Met Éireann says. Lowest temperatures of -1 to +3 degrees in moderate to fresh east to northeast winds.
Tomorrow will be cold and blustery with outbreaks of sleet and snow, along with heavy rain in southern coastal areas. Significant accumulations of snow will occur, mainly across the midlands and southwest leading to hazardous travelling conditions. There is a chance of localised flooding in the south.
The northwest will turn drier through the day tomorrow, the forecaster said. Highest temperatures of just 0 to 4 degrees in moderate to fresh northerly winds.
Uisce Éireann said the public could consider setting the heating to come on periodically at a lower temperature, allowing warm air to circulate and will help to prevent pipes and tanks from freezing in the cold weather.
Uisce Éireann spokesperson Margaret Attridge said with temperatures dipping below zero it is very important to continue the regular maintenance of your property, protect outside taps and farm troughs, and check empty premises.
“It is also a good idea to familiarise yourself with your own internal water system and particularly how to turn off your supply at the stopcock so that you can protect your property in the event of a burst pipe.”
Ms Attridge is asking people to conserve water and not to leave taps running
“We also recommend that people don’t run taps continually as this is not an effective way of preventing frozen pipes and can cause other problems such as frozen drains.
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