THIS IS the coldest winter experienced in Dublin for 18 years, Met Éireann has said.
Meteorologist Gerry Murphy said the Casement Aerodrome weather station had recorded its coldest December and January since 1991, and the coldest December and January since 1997 had been recorded at weather stations at Cork airport and in Birr, Co Offaly. However, there was nothing unusual about the current bout of sleet, snow and general wintry weather in February.
Cold air from Siberia caused much of the recent heavy snowfalls in Britain and in the east of Ireland, Mr Murphy told The Irish Times.
He said February was still part of the winter season in meteorological terms.
“This winter we have had quite a few nights with sharp frost and it’s been a while since the Dublin region has had such significant falls of snow. It’s unusual in that sense, but on the other hand it’s winter weather.”
Yesterday parts of the country experienced heavy wintry showers of sleet and snow, causing traffic delays and the closure of Dublin airport.
“The places that are getting most of them are Donegal and Mayo in the north and west, and then east Ulster, east Antrim and right down the east coast and in as far as parts of Kildare, Tipperary and Waterford,” Mr Murphy said.
In contrast, west Munster and a good part of Connacht were “dry and bright with lovely sunshine”.
The weather conditions hampered the rescue of a woman who got into difficulty at Howth Head yesterday. She was transferred to a lifeboat in “challenging conditions” of extreme cold, poor visibility and rough sea, the RNLI said.
The Coast Guard helicopter was unavailable due to conditions.
The woman was in a stable condition in hospital last night.
Dublin bus services were disrupted yesterday, particularly on the south side and on the outskirts of the city. The 46A was not entering Stillorgan village.
Students at University College Dublin had to go home early yesterday as all buildings in the Belfield campus were closed at 5pm due to weather conditions.