Return to sub-zero conditions expected

BIG CHILL:A RETURN to cold weather is expected this weekend with the possibility of more snow next week. Temperatures will fall as low as minus 5 degrees on Sunday night with a widespread frost expected across the country.

The return to freezing temperatures is unlikely, however, to impede attempts to restore water supplies across the country, according to Gerry Galvin, principal adviser on water services at the Department of the Environment.

"Overall, with a short-term frost and a thaw very quickly in the morning, the frost won't penetrate deeply enough to cause problems," he said.

Both Saturday and Sunday will be cold and dry so the risk of ice and snow is likely to be minimal.

However, Met Éireann said there was a possibility the colder weather will return by next Wednesday, with significant falls of snow and freezing temperatures.

Forecaster Vincent O'Shea said the winter to date had been "unbelievable", and there was no precedent for such a sustained cold period before the new year.

"We are shocked in Met Éireann. Even some of the most horrendous winters of the last century usually begin after Christmas, and this one has started in late November. Some of us who are here 30 years have witnessed nothing like it before," he said.

Mr O'Shea stressed they were not "100 per cent confident" the cold weather would be returning, as they did not forecast beyond five days, but their computer models were showing a return of Arctic air from the middle of next week. Temperatures are likely to fall to around zero for the New Year's Eve celebrations tonight, but colder, clearer weather is forecast to come from the northeast from tomorrow night with a sharp frost expected in Ulster and Leinster and sub-zero temperatures.

Sunday will be a cold day everywhere, with daytime temperatures hovering between 2 and 5 degrees and night-time temperatures falling to minus 5 degrees.

Temperatures will rise again on Monday and Tuesday. "It will be a brief and slight warming," said Mr O'Shea.

"There is a strong signal at this stage that we are back into wintery weather, with falls of snow towards the latter part of next week. The prediction is that daytime temperatures will only hover above zero, and night-time temperatures of minus 5 or minus 6 degrees."

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government John Gormley praised the work of the local authorities, who he said had done everything they could to deal with the cold weather - in marked contrast to what had happened north of the Border.

He said the contingency plans they had provided for before Christmas had worked, but there was no way of preparing to deal with extremes of temperatures which ranged from minus 11 to 11 degrees.

Dublin City Council is lifting restrictions for the New Year's Eve celebrations tonight, but warned that water restrictions could be in place until the schools resume on January 10th. Local authorities elsewhere expect supplies to return to normal by this evening.