NORTHEAST: Gardaí reported numerous problems with trucks trying to negotiate the roads into Slane, Co Meath, as well as the main Drogheda to Navan road which intersects the N2 in Slane village.
About 7,000 vehicles pass through the village crossroads on a normal day. Yesterday trucks that were unable to get up the hills on approach roads to Slane causing huge disruption.
Three trucks were stuck on a hill just past Slane Castle on the Navan Road by early yesterday morning. North of Slane towards Collon, another local farmer said he had been pulling trucks up the notoriously dangerous Glassallen Hill since 6am.
Meath County Council said it had intended to provide grit to local communities but changed its plans as heavy snow began to fall.
A spokeswoman said the strategy “is to clear roads with snowploughs and to assist where there are serious incidents, for example where lorries are stuck on hills or cars have gone off the road into ditches etc” . The council said it would be gritting the main roads overnight.
In Louth, county manager Conn Murray requested the assistance of the Defence Forces to help clear snow and ice from footpaths and main thoroughfares in Dundalk and Drogheda.
The weather also resulted in Tullyesker Hill outside Drogheda becoming impassable for trucks from yesterday evening. - ELAINE KEOGH
NORTHWEST
Thousands of homes across the region face without being with water as demand surges during the cold spell. County councils said an increase in demand for water was most likely due to burst mains, taps being left running and leaks in houses.
Senior engineer with Donegal County Council Con McLaughlin, warned that water supplies could be cut shortly to householders.
Last Christmas many households had their water cut off nightly because of plummeting water levels due to similar problems.
“Any leaks should be reported. We are asking people who have holiday homes to check homes and turn off supplies,” Mr McLaughlin said.
Many schools across the region remained closed yesterday. The region has broadly escaped the snow in the past couple of days but there were heavy snowfalls again yesterday afternoon with temperatures plummeting to minus 10 during the afternoon.
Sligo County Council engineer Tom Brennan said the council’s response plan was working well, with six gritters working flat-out spreading 1,500 tonnes of salt on roads. They would turn their attentions to footpaths later, he said. - STEPHEN MAGUIRE
SOUTHEAST
Waterford and Carlow were among the areas worst hit by the weather on Tuesday night and yesterday, as fresh snowfalls allied with already-icy conditions made driving hazardous.
An Post was unable to deliver in parts of Waterford and Wexford – including Waterford city – with householders and businesses advised to collect letters and packages at their local sorting office.
The east of the county was severely affected by the weather, with a lot of snow in Waterford city, while the centre of Tramore was impassable for much of the day.
Roads around the county were divided into three “priority” categories, with most attention given to the N25 between Waterford city and Youghal bridge and the N72 between Dungarvan and Lismore and Tallow.
Snow fell on an intermittent basis in Co Tipperary, while heavy snow in Kilkenny, Wexford and Carlow on Tuesday night and yesterday meant many roads were impassable. - CONOR KANE
MIDLANDS
Flurries of snowfall and freezing conditions were continuing in the midlands where some local authorities were urging homeowners to conserve water.
Up to eight inches of snow fell in northeast Offaly on Tuesday night.
Main routes remained passable, but around the Slieve Blooms, the Kinnitty to Mountrath Road was closed.
Roads in Co Westmeath remained open yesterday with motorways reduced to single lane in each direction on the M4 between Kinnegad, Mullingar and Longford.
A similar system was in operation on the N6 and M6 between Kinnegad and Athlone. - EOGHAN MacCONNELL
SOUTH
Cork city yet again appeared to escape the worst of the cold weather yesterday where despite an overnight snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, most roads in the city were passable yesterday.
While main roads in west and east Cork were also passable, secondary roads remained dangerous, with freezing temperatures making for treacherous driving leading gardaí to urge people to avoid travelling.
A number of schools in west Cork closed early and later in the day, schools in Youghal, Midleton and Ballincollig shut their doors. - BARRY ROCHE
WEST
The worst of Galway’s traffic congestion was once again on the N17 from the city to Tuam yesterday evening as roads, even those gritted, became extremely dangerous as temperatures dropped to minus 5 degrees.
Galway city and county councils concentrated gritting on the most heavily travelled routes, with mid-Galway the worst affected .
However, there was little snow and most secondary roads remained open in the county.
JOHN FALLON