Met Éireann has forecast furhter wintry showers for tomorrow as the recent cold weather shows no signs of easing.
According to the national service, snow showers will become confined to northern and northwestern coastal counties tomorrow, with sunny spells developing elsewhere. Occasional wintry showers may also develop along western and eastern coasts as the day goes on, some falling as snow, Met Éireann said.
Today, motorists around the country endured difficult driving conditions following overnight snowfalls.
Bus Éireann buses were running normally but with some delays, while several routes in the east of the country were cancelled.
Dublin Bus, which had to suspend services on New Year’s Day because of snow and ice, said 30 of its routes were curtailed but services were still operating.
The AA today reported it had experienced its busiest-ever day today with over 700 calls for assistance received by lunchtime. The organisation said the cold weather is affecting car battery and electrical systems, with battery failures "four or five times greater than a typical Monday".
“Today was the first day back at work for many people and for that reason we did expect an extremely busy day, but this has turned out to be extraordinary.” director of policy Conor Faughnan said.
“The normal post-Christmas effect has been compounded by the big freeze. Car batteries are very vulnerable in low temperatures and AA members' cars have been breaking down in record numbers.”
The AA said it would normally expect to attend to 400-500 call outs on a typical Monday. The busiest days of 2008 and 2009 both occurred in January and both included over 900 call outs. Previously the highest number of call out jobs for a single day was 913 on 2nd January 2007.
“Today we had over 700 call outs by lunchtime," Mr Faughnan said. “We have literally never seen anything like it. It is already a record, and we are not sure how high it will go before the day is over.”
The AA has deployed all of its resources and every AA Patrol is on duty. The organisation said it has asked those members who are already at home not to call for service until tomorrow as the rescue service is giving priority to those in emergency situations or stranded by the roadside.
Hospital emergency departments also saw a busier Christmas than usual because of the cold snap, with a jump in the numbers of people suffering sprains and fractures because of falls.
University College Hospital in Galway experienced a 22 per cent rise, while Connolly Hospital in Naas, Co Kildare, registered a 25 per cent increase.
In the North, the freezing weather has prompted the first ever legal suspension of shooting waterfowl in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency is bringing in the temporary ban on hunting ducks, geese and waders for at least a week to allow the birds to see out the cold spell.
Severe frosts and low daytime temperatures were widespread today, with temperatures not rising above five degrees.
Tonight, snow is forecast in Ulster and the northern parts of Leinster and Connacht. Wintry showers will affect Ulster and north Connacht tomorrow, and the east on Wednesday.
Forecasters have also predicted the possibility of more widespread snow during Thursday. Temperatures are to remain low during next weekend, though it is expected to remain dry.
The National Roads Authority said more than 19,000 tonnes of grit would be imported over the next fortnight, as two-thirds of normal seasonal supply had already been used.
Fine Gael’s road safety spokesman accused the Minister for Transport of failing to co-ordinate a centralised nationwide response to the transport problems.
“Noel Dempsey’s response has been appalling. He and his Government seemed to abandon the country to its fate,” he claimed.
He said large swathes of the country had been left stranded by inadequate gritting. “The Government should ensure that local authorities stockpile sufficient quantities of grit to deal with future emergencies.”