Early snowfalls causing chaos in coldest October for 74 years
treacherous: Cars and buses stuck on roads
Thursday October 30 2008
THESE are the dramatic snow scenes from the Sallygap in Wicklow yesterday as the heavy snow caused a car to veer off the road.
Tour buses ferrying sightseeing tourists across the mountain also got stuck in snow in our coldest October in over 70 years.
Snow fell heavily in parts of the country as temperatures dropped to four degrees, the lowest daytime temperature in October since 1934.
SNAP
Today the Sallygap was still closed to traffic after yesterday's chaos and AA Roadwatch were warning drivers to take care on the roads.
The cold snap, which began at the start of the week, is set to continue into the weekend with temperatures tonight dropping to zero degrees again.
Snow, sleet and icy conditions are all a possibility for the next few days as autumn is fast becoming a very cold winter. However weather experts said that snow in low-lying areas is "very unlikely".
A spokesperson for Met Eireann said: "There will be showers around but snow is very unlikely."
She said that temperatures will be between six and nine degrees, which is a little too warm for now.
unususal
"You would really need air temperatures to be around one degree," she said.
The weekend will continue cold with a north to north-east wind keeping temperatures low.
"Most of the showers will be along the east of the country in Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford.
"The temperatures are not unusual for this time of year but the night before last air temperatures dropped to minus four degrees and ground temperatures to minus seven," she continued.
"It isn't unusual to get those temperatures but it is very unusual to get snow on low levels," she said.
- Sarah Neville
