Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow Snow–Ice Warning for Waterford. The warning is in place from 5 pm Saturday, January 4th to 5 pm Sunday, January 5th, with falls of rain, sleet, and snow expected.
The very cold spell across the country will lead to disruptive weather over the weekend, with an area of low pressure sending up some heavy rain, sleet, and snow.
This cold spell is expected to extend into at least the middle of next week with lying snow, some wintry showers widespread severe frost and ice, and some freezing fog also.
Waterford City and County Council’s severe weather management team attended a Virtual National Emergency Coordination Group meeting this morning and is advising that Waterford City and County Council ground crews are treating all Priority One and Two roads.
Gabriel Hynes, Senior Engineer with Waterford City and County Council said, “Waterford City and County Council ground crews are attending to the Priority One and Two road network, and gritting will continue on these Priority One and Two roads for the duration of the cold weather advisory warning. The crews will attend to salting Priority Three roads as and when resources allow.
“Waterford City and County Council currently has ample salt stocks to treat these roads for the duration of the cold spell. With 1,500 tonnes of salt in reserve at our yards in Waterford city and Dungarvan, salt is also being restocked as required from the National Depots in Cahir and Bellview.”
Hynes urged motorists to exercise caution on their journeys, “We would urge all motorists to reduce speed and leave extra distance between you and the vehicle in front. Driving conditions will be hazardous, even where roads are gritted, so please slow down, drive with caution, be aware of other road users, and allow extra time for your journey. Pedestrians should also take care as footpaths will be slippery due to ice.”
All Waterford City and County Council Gritting Routes can be found on the homepage of the Waterford City and County Council website at https://waterfordcouncil.ie/
Waterford City and County Council's Integrated Homeless Services Severe Weather Protocol is currently in operation until March 31st. Throughout this period, the Outreach Team from Waterford Integrated Homeless Services is in regular contact with any known rough sleepers to advise them of impending weather alerts/freezing temperatures and remind them of the shelter arrangements that they can avail of.
Extra capacity is available at McGwire House, Bath Street, Waterford, where homeless men and women can present to avail of shelter (051 879930). Women and children fleeing domestic violence should present to Oasis House, 71 Morrisson's Road, Waterford (051 370367).
With the Met Éireann Status Yellow Snow / Ice Warning issued for the weekend, Waterford City and County Council is appealing to the public to contact the Homeless Services Team by emailing [email protected] if they see a person(s) sleeping rough in Waterford.
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
