SEVERE WEATHER resulted in treacherous conditions for commuters all over the country yesterday morning, "a snow day" for many school pupils, flight cancellations and a lightning strike in one Mayo community.
Falls of snow and freezing conditions overnight made roads slippery with 8cm to 13cm of snowfall and up to 25cm on higher ground, adding to the difficult conditions. Heavy snowfall in the northwest resulted in a number of collisions in Ballina, Co Mayo, and in Co Sligo.
Further snowfall yesterday meant that conditions were still bad on many minor roads in the region, while a lorry got stuck on a road near Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. At least 20 schools were closed in this region as a result of the weather.
Motorists in the midlands and east of the country were also warned to drive slower because of difficult conditions. Gardaí warned motorists to avoid the Sally Gap in Co Wicklow altogether. Minor crashes took place on many rural roads, notably in counties Kildare and Cavan. There were also particularly difficult driving conditions on roads near Thurles, Portlaoise and Athlone.
A bolt of lightning caused tens of thousands of euro worth of damage when it struck three houses in the village of Binghamstown on the Belmullet Peninsula, Co Mayo, at about 7.30am.
One house was left with holes in its roof while electrical and phone wires were burned out in the two other buildings. Nobody was injured, but one of the householders, Michael Togher, a well- known musician, described the incident as "like a bomb going off".
"It was pure calm before the strike. I was in bed. There was a light powdering of snow on the ground. Suddenly there was a flash of light and an instantaneous explosion," he said.
Gardaí and the Fire Brigade helped in clearing-up operations.
Passengers at Ireland West Airport, Knock, Co Mayo, were also affected by the severe weather. The morning flight into Knock from Luton had to be diverted to Shannon, while some flights both ways between Knock and Birmingham and Manchester were cancelled due to the weather.
Further wintry showers, sub-zero temperatures and severe frost were expected last night. Today will remain cold, but it will be mainly dry with some sunshine.