National: Severe Cold/ Snow Discussion (Thanks to all!)

bloopy

just looking at the RainToday site.
Is there something building in the Irish sea off Wexford/Wicklow?

Irish Steve

Well, MT did say there was the potential for some snow in the East, and he was right. I can tell it's been snowing in Dublin, there's nearly 40 pages x 40 messages since 1400, and I'm not about to wade through that lot.

(rant) What an evening:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

The snow was fine, what was the pits was the way that the Dublin Traffic (Mis)management unit, AA roadwatch, RTE and the like dealt with it:mad::mad::mad:

I left Ashbourne at 18:30 heading for Nutley Lane. From Ashbourne to the M50/M1 intersection took about 20 minutes, in reasonable conditions of very nice looking falling snow of varying intensity, the fall started in Ashbourne about 1815.

From M1/M50 to Nutley lane took over 2 hours.

First totally avoidable and inexcusable f**k up was the NRA overhead signs on the M50. If the Port Tunnel is closed, then why the F**k didn't they tell us while we were on the M50, instead of leaving it until after we were committed to the M50/M1 interchange link and unable to get off the motorway before the Coolock interchange. We were stuck in crawling traffic from the flyover until Coolock because of the ignorance and stupidity of the NRA in not posting that the tunnel was closed on the overhead signs on the M50 before the intersection. The first indication of a problem was after the merge of the M1 & M50, too late for the M50 traffic. Then they couldn't make their mind up if it was open or closed, so one sign said one thing, the next said the other. Gave up at that stage and went back roads.

Information on RTE1, during peak travel time, None before 1900. No indication from them at all of issues with the Port tunnel, or the port area. After 1900, they decided that perhaps they'd better get some information out there, so from 1900, there were AA roadwatch reports every 15 minutes. Too little too late.

Probable reason for the tunnel closure? Massive queues on the M50/M1 outbound, and I will put money on it that some of those delays were due to the work being carried out near the airport. Busiest place in the country this week, and what do the NRA do? Run the risk of massive disruption by allowing road works near the airport at peak traffic time, and during a period where the weather conditions are also likely to be bad, and to compound the felony, not have enough salt in the country to properly treat the roads.

Utter and complete waste of space and money, incompetent, ineffective, disorganised, words fail me. If they were private sector rather than a semi state, heads would have rolled by now, but sure, we can't sack civil servants, that's not playing the game, so instead, move them to another department so they can screw up there again.

A fall of snow that on the roads was so minor that if it had happened in Denver, they wouldn't have even bothered to get the snow ploughs out, and Dublin grinds to a total grid lock halt!. (/rant)


So, after a few false starts, the East Coast got the snow that had been forecast, albeit a little later than first expected, but it did happen, and MT can now take some credit for having been all in all pretty accurate with the mix and locations of the weather we've had. Apart from the shambles caused by no coordinated plan and non existent reporting plans it looked very pretty.

As we came out of the RTE studio at about 00:30, and walked back to the vehicle, we were saying that the combination of all the lights on the mast and in the trees and the snow on the trees and on the ground looked very nice indeed, and we'd have had to spend a lot of money to get that sort of view under different circumstances, but we got them in Dublin 4 today, there was probably close on 10 cms of snow in parts of the car park, and on some of the vehicles.

In passing, we were back in Ashbourne in about 40 minutes with no dramas or hassles, without using the port tunnel.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of days, and I'm still waiting to see if that thaw is going to happen or not, my impression of this cold air is that it's doing serious damage to the frontal systems in the Atlantic, and breaking them up quite significantly, with the resulting cold plunge going much further South, which makes me think that the warm air isn't going to be able to make the inroads into this part of the world that some of the models are suggesting.

Time will tell.

I don't envy the people trying to get into Dublin tomorrow, it's going to be the pits, I've seen no grit or clearing anywhere this evening.

Steve

ciaranm

Take a gander at raintoday and sat24. The East could take a battering within an hour or so.

bassy

ciaranm wrote: »

Take a gander at raintoday and sat24. The East could take a battering within an hour or so.

Getting excited by that news ciaranm,am here in north Kilkenny.

Faustino

ciaranm wrote: »

Take a gander at raintoday and sat24. The East could take a battering within an hour or so.

I noticed that too.. would probably start falling around 4ish..

How much snow could potentially fall in the next 24 hours?

Whispered

I was trying to get to work at 9.30pm, I got from kilcullen to naas and snow was starting. By 9.50, it was pelting, the bus arrived and said he was going no further. My husband collected me from the busstop and there was no visibility on the road between naas and kilcullen, until just getting into the town and it just stopped very little snow here so far, while naas was covered before my eyes.

bassy

Update.....

Just looked out window and nothing here yet.............

snow ghost

Snowing here for the last two hours - started light has been moderate to heavy for last hour and half.

Not

ciaranm wrote: »

Take a gander at raintoday and sat24. The East could take a battering within an hour or so.

:eek: That's intensified a good bit. Slamming into Wicklow soon, looks like it won't get as far as Dublin, but later stuff might.

Davaeo09

Loving how things have developed over the passed few hours. Looks like the South East might finally get some snow! Looks as if it will be a brief blitzing compared to the regular falls we had last week. Or am I completely wrong?

Also at -8 here in Kilkenny it's just starting to cloud over

I've just seen that radar:eek::eek:
I'll keep ye posted as uhm...I'm in the exact centre of that and it's steaming over to me faster than the stenna

snow ghost

That's one hell of a shower heading for the South East! :eek:

snow ghost

snow ghost wrote: »

That's one hell of a shower heading for the South East! :eek:

I know :eek:
I'm just 2 miles from the coast and can see the bank of cloud approaching and despite a wind here easterly directly off the sea,it's -4.4c

bloopy

Looks like Arklow is about to get a good dumping

bigroad

Just Looked big clouds coming in from the sea.North Wexford.I say 30mins should see something fall.

lolli

Oh god looks like a lot is going to hit alright. I live outside Gorey the sky is all clear here.

Our roads are only after getting back to normal. I live on top of a hill so I wouldnt even get my car out until last monday.

lolie

any1 think any chance of the stuff in the irish sea will go west and reach cavan r head southwest to dublin/wicklow? had bout inch & half friday eve and nothin since, pi**ed off:mad: terra how bright it is out,nearly daylight

big lightning

liamygunner29

i wonder will she make Dublin

loud thunder

Not

Hmm, on raintoday it looks like the A55 through north Wales is getting plastered, but when I look at the traffic cameras on the A55 that proclaim to be showing up to date images it doesn't look like there's much happening

lucy2010

Deleted User wrote: »

loud thunder

so were in for a treat so...

Isn't MT just genius - todays now the 21st

lolli

lolli wrote: »

Oh god looks like a lot is going to hit alright. I live outside Gorey the sky is all clear here.

Our roads are only after getting back to normal. I live on top of a hill so I wouldnt even get my car out until last monday.

not for long!
Precip isn't here yet but it has our names on it within the hour I'd say

lucy2010

lucy2010 wrote: »

so were in for a treat so...

Isn't MT just genius - todays now the 21st

full cloud now-no precip yet

giggsirish

Finally something beefy. .Almost -10 here. Will be the lowest so far this year if it makes it before the front moves in and temp rises a little. Or knowing our luck it will hit North and South of Kilcullen and miss us completely

lolli

Deleted User wrote: »

not for long!
Precip isn't here yet but it has our names on it within the hour I'd say

Oh i'm so tempted to stay up now until it hits.

Monkaa

Jaysus raintoday doesn't look friendly! Looks like the south east is going to get plastered in the next few hours!

Davaeo09

lolli wrote: »

Oh i'm so tempted to stay up now until it hits.

Snap and i'm further inland.

more lightning and thunder
no precip yet
full cloud -4.3c

bigroad

Can see lighting of the coast of cortown.Nice.