MET Éireann has forecast another frosty start to the day following two days of disruption across Donegal due to heavy snowfall.
However, there is an end in sight as temperatures are due to turn milder over the weekend.
Met Éireann forecaster Paul Downes said untreated roads will be “quite dodgy” this morning with increased possibility of icy stretches as the remaining snow begins to melt.
Donegal County Council has echoed these concerns as they urge road users to continue to drive with caution.
Mr Downes told the Donegal News that today’s weather will be dry with some sunny spells. Throughout the day temperatures are set to rise to about three or four degrees, getting warmer near the coast.
Overnight the weather will remain dry, but temperatures are set to drop again, with lows of -3 degrees, “so some frost may persist,” he added.
Met Éireann has forecast a cloudy start to the weekend as rain from the south starts to push up over Donegal tomorrow.
The temperature will also increase and is forecast to reach 4-7 degrees, however Mr Downes explained that this depends if there is still snow lying in areas.
Temperatures are expected to remain above freezing tomorrow night at between 2-4 degrees, “Donegal should avoid a frost but this can’t be ruled out locally if there is still snow lying,” he added.
Schools and services across the county closed on Tuesday due to the severe weather, many stayed shut as conditions remained uncertain yesterday. Bus services were also halted across the county as roads became too dangerous to drive.
Donegal County Council were busy gritting over 1,140kms of our public roads in response to the wintry weather. This included gritting a total of 21 designated routes which are being treated on an on-going basis since the weekend. The repsonse falls under the council’s winter road maintenance budget spending for 2023 which is estimated to cost close to €1.5 million.
Gritting crews started at 5am on Monday morning and again from 4pm until 11pm on Monday evening and recommenced at 5am on
Tuesday and all routes and gritters remained out throughout the day as required. Gritting then recommenced at 5am yesterday morning, also on all routes.
The council’s outdoor crews were also dealing with local issues on sections of public road not on the gritting programme. The council’s Winter Service Engineer will continue to monitor the situation closely in the coming days.
“Our Winter Service Engineer will be using specialised forecasting tools and real-time information, along with input from our local staff, to determine the appropriate treatment type and frequency until this weather passes,” a council spokesperson said
Thankfully, the wintry weather is expected to end on Saturday as temperatures are set to rise significantly to ten degrees with no chance of frost.
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