Severe Winter Weather: ESSENTIAL PREPARATIONS, TRAVEL ADVICE, DRIVING TIPS & CLOSURES

Lucyryan1983

Legacy Clever Gardener wrote: »

There's a few of those on this forum

That was me this morning! Oil refilled and iv loads of coal for the fire and 6ltrs of stew on in the slow cooker. The guy who delivered the coal this morning said he has never been so busy. Looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

beefburrito

Lucyryan1983 wrote: »

That was me this morning! Oil refilled and iv loads of coal for the fire and 6ltrs of stew on in the slow cooker. The guy who delivered the coal this morning said he has never been so busy. Looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

Got mine delivered today, and have to get tyre's with more grip....not going to risk it

Squatter

quartz1 wrote: »

What's the likelihood of air travel disruption out of Cork Airport on Thursday morning. Have a very early flight out.

Rooy wrote: »

IMO its hard to say yet , possible snow showers in Cork wednesday into wed night so hard to say impact of those , it is was me i would prob be a bit more worried about actually getting to the airport. It might also depend if/when flight is incoming from as that airport could be experencing problems if UK.

Developing that question a bit, I'm due to fly out from Cork on Thursday at 11.00 - ignoring the prospects of taking off from Cork, what are the chances of Bristol Airport being open that afternoon?

davo2001

beefburrito wrote: »

Got mine delivered today, and have to get tyre's with more grip....not going to risk it

Bought myself some snow socks for the car for this purpose.

eviltimeban

Drumpot wrote: »

Just had a call from a client. I brought up the snow and they said “sure I don’t believe them anymore”. I discussed the informed information I read on here and why it’s most likely going to be pretty bad and she immediately took it seriously. I also warned an older gentleman I know in the gym this morning..
.

I've had the same experience. I'm cancelling work meetings for Wednesday and people are asking me why I'm doing that, and saying "ah sure it might be the next day, or it might not be so bad". It won't, and it will.

I feel like Denis Quaid in the Day After Tomorrow where no one believes him about how bad it's going to be!



Tell the people! Save yourselves!

Anyway thanks Boards for bringing this to my attention. I've done what I can to protect myself and my loved ones from whatever this weather is going to through at us (must get my wellies out of the shed)

Oops69

I’m dreading Shane Ross giving updates on transport when everything goes pear shaped from Wednesday ...headwreck.

SkepticQuark

dak wrote: »

RTE Lunchtime news talking about zero visibility on the roads on Thursday and Friday but unsure whether schools will close ! Seems like a contradiction ! If its due to be that bad I'm sure schools will be closed . They probably don't want to call it just yet !

They did this with ophelia too, "ah shur hurricane coming towards us lads, shall we close da schools? Nah wait until da last minute."

Irish Steve

northgirl wrote: »

Sorry for the slightly repetitious query but at the moment are flights out of Dublin on Thursday afternoon potentially not going to materialise?

The forecast for daytime thursday is for showers, so it's going to depend on how frequent and heavy they are, which is not something that can be forecast with any accuracy,

The other factors will be how well the airport copes with the snow that falls, and where you're going, flights to Europe are likely to also be affected by problems at the other end as well, further afield may not be quite so badly affected, but there are no guarantees at this stage. There for sure will be problems, but as to if your specific flight will be affected, that's a lottery numbers scenario.

PauloMN

Meath County Council has made preparations for the severe weather event which is forecast for this week.
The Council has adequate amounts of salt to ensure that the designated routes are gritted.
Gritting routes may be viewed on our website at http://www.meath.ie/CountyCounc…/Roads/WinterGrittingRoutes/
Snow ploughs have been fitted to the gritting trucks to clear accumulations of snow as required.
The Council will prioritize the clearing of roads and dealing with individual emergency incidents to ensure, as far as possible, the safety and welfare of the public.

Motorists are asked to adjust their driving style to account for the road and prevailing weather or other environmental conditions.

We are also asking people to drive with care on rural roads and only undertake essential journeys.

Please follow the advice of the Gardaí and the A.A. with regard to planned journeys.

Meath County Council’s Civil Defence has eight locations around the county and will work with the Gardaí to identify vulnerable people and provide assistance, if required. The local area offices may be also contacted for assistance, if necessary. http://www.meath.ie/CountyCouncil/ContactUs/#mds

Ok, I'm officially onboard now that the council are using snow ploughs!

joes girls

dak wrote: »

RTE Lunchtime news talking about zero visibility on the roads on Thursday and Friday but unsure whether schools will close ! Seems like a contradiction ! If its due to be that bad I'm sure schools will be closed . They probably don't want to call it just yet !

We live in the country, roads will not be treated. There will be no school because the buses won't travel in it, Red Warning or not.

Acosta

Squatter wrote: »

Developing that question a bit, I'm due to fly out from Cork on Thursday at 11.00 - ignoring the prospects of taking off from Cork, what are the chances of Bristol Airport being open that afternoon?

If airlines are sure the weather is going to be so bad at a certain time they often will cancel flights the evening before. This usually happens with bad winds anyway. Keep checking their website and your inbox Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

harr

Cancelled our planed trip to Kilkenny for Wednesday and Thursday wasn’t going to risk getting stuck somewhere Thursday morning on way home.
Main roads might be ok but trying to get to my home please could be a different story, the nearest treated road to us would be 2km away.
Ordered a top up of oil last Friday and delivery driver today said that the phones are flat out with people in a panic trying to make orders ..anyone ordering fuel today will be to lucky to get it before Wednesday.

LeinsterDub

roddy15 wrote: »

They did this with ophelia too, "ah shur hurricane coming towards us lads, shall we close da schools? Nah wait until da last minute."

Damned if they do , damned if they don't if they say the schools are closed now and the sun is splitting the stones on Thursday people would be on here giving out.

Cork Boy 53

eviltimeban wrote: »

I've had the same experience. I'm cancelling work meetings for Wednesday and people are asking me why I'm doing that, and saying "ah sure it might be the next day, or it might not be so bad". It won't, and it will.

I feel like Denis Quaid in the Day After Tomorrow where no one believes him about how bad it's going to be!



Tell the people! Save yourselves!

Anyway thanks Boards for bringing this to my attention. I've done what I can to protect myself and my loved ones from whatever this weather is going to through at us (must get my wellies out of the shed)

If you feel like Dennis Quaid in that movie, maybe you should get your snowshoes ready too.

SkepticQuark

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Damned if they do , damned if they don't if they say the schools are closed now and the sun is splitting the stones on Thursday people would be on here giving out.

And to that I say **** em. Country should be prepared in advance that means making the call on schools early to give parents time to sort out arrangements if schools were to close.

eviltimeban

Cork Boy 53 wrote: »

If you feel like Dennis Quaid in that movie, maybe you should get your snowshoes ready too.

Unlike DQ in that movie, I fully plan to have my kids in the house with me at all times during the next four days!

MrDerp

Squatter wrote: »

Developing that question a bit, I'm due to fly out from Cork on Thursday at 11.00 - ignoring the prospects of taking off from Cork, what are the chances of Bristol Airport being open that afternoon?

There's more to it than Bristol Squatter.

Your plane typically does a trip before that flight too - at a minimum that plane will have flown to Manchester/Birmingham and back. Last Thursday, the plane that flew to Bristol previously flew to Manchester and back before continuing on to Bristol.
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/ei-fsk

So you have a significant risk of delays depending on the weather in Manchester. Schedules tend to have further knock on effects for the majority of the Aer Lingus regional flights in bad weather. They can cancel a flight for operational reasons if their planes get stuck or end up in the wrong cities.

Still, no reason to think the planes won't fly if there isn't snow actively falling. Just be aware and prepared.

uck51js9zml2yt

RustyGate wrote: »

Also in certain countries in central Europe (don't know about Slovakia) there is a legal obligation to have winter tyres fitted during winter months, which makes a huge difference.

Same in Slovakia.

LeinsterDub

roddy15 wrote: »

And to that I say **** em. Country should be prepared in advance that means making the call on schools early to give parents time to sort out arrangements if schools were to close.

And after a few false positives and people start to ignore Red level warnings what would be achieved?

BillyBobBS

adocholiday wrote: »

Side point but does anyone know where I could donate a few jackets and blankets? I have a few bits I was going to recycle but someone might need them this week.

Not sure i guess anyone of the big known agencies. Friend was up at the underpass at bray there this morning talking to the lads in the tents they are planning to get the bus into town this evening in the hope of shelter for a few days. God love them.

SkepticQuark

LeinsterDub wrote: »

And after a few false positives and people start to ignore Red level warnings what would be achieved?

People already ignore red warnings, we shouldn't be catering to those same people who still think ophelia did nothing. We got a school closed text at 7pm the night before ophelia was due to hit, is it really too much to ask for even 24 hours notice? If people can't appreciate being prepared for whatever comes then they need some basic education.

polydactyl

Ok, living in Dublin and have a job that means Red Alert or not I need to go to work so trying to plan.

Like a lot of people I bought snow socks for A Renault Megane in 2010. Weiss size 80....still in bag. Now I have a 2014 Tiguan.....how on Earth do I know if they will be of any help or just leave in the bag

Lucreto

My fear is that I get in to work and can't get home again.

I live in Naas and work in Ballsbridge if its bad in Ballsbridge and the trains get shut down I am fecked.

red_bairn

Lucreto wrote: »

My fear is that I get in to work and can't get home again.

I live in Naas and work in Ballsbridge if its bad in Ballsbridge and the trains get shut down I am fecked.

Can you work remotely? If you can, you should check with your supervisor/manager if you can stay at home of the worst of days.

ninebeanrows

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

otherfrog

Lucreto wrote: »

My fear is that I get in to work and can't get home again.

I live in Naas and work in Ballsbridge if its bad in Ballsbridge and the trains get shut down I am fecked.

I'm in a similar situation - going from Naas into the City Centre. The models seem to be showing first significant amounts of snow for Dublin/Kildare late Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

I can't see them calling a Red Warning at that stage, but there's more stuff in line afterwards and that's when they may pull the plug. Thursday/Friday could be very much worse.

Luckily I have a couch to sleep on if the trains are stopped on Wednesday - might be worth touching base with friends etc. now. Better than trying to find a hotel.

gerrybhoy

Weathercheck wrote: »

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

Went to Centra in Castleknock before 7 this morning place was a ramshackle,full of muppets waiting on the bread and milk delivery ffs

Tom Cruises Left Nut

Weathercheck wrote: »

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

Really ?

kod87

Weathercheck wrote: »

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

I could understand panic buying if we were in for several weeks of severe weather but this looks like 4 or 5 days, what do people possibly need to stock up on for 4 or 5 days?

Kermit.de.frog

Weathercheck wrote: »

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

But RTE said not to panic for 24 hours.

Pussyhands

Weathercheck wrote: »

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

CENTRA SHILL

otherfrog

Tom Cruises Left Nut wrote: »

Really ?

I can confirm there wasnt an ice scraper to be had in Tesco earlier :pac:

Plenty of them on Saturday - reduced amount of de-icer on the shelves.

Larbre34

Tom Cruises Left Nut wrote: »

Really ?

I can confirm this in Dun laoghaire, staples and tins along with large containers of water are going pretty fast. Not a panic, but the message is being received.

Alanstrainor

polydactyl wrote: »

Ok, living in Dublin and have a job that means Red Alert or not I need to go to work so trying to plan.

Like a lot of people I bought snow socks for A Renault Megane in 2010. Weiss size 80....still in bag. Now I have a 2014 Tiguan.....how on Earth do I know if they will be of any help or just leave in the bag

What does the packaging say on them? I would imagine and your Tiguan has much larger wheels than the Megane did. So I would guess they will not fit.

Gonzo

Weathercheck wrote: »

Panic buying has begun! Shops shelves emptying fast.

not much bread left on our local Supervalu.

many of the ready made meals sold out too with some shelves completely empty.

Lumen

Larbre34 wrote: »

I can confirm this in Dun laoghaire, staples and tins along with large containers of water are going pretty fast. Not a panic, but the message is being received.

rebeve

kod87 wrote: »

I could understand panic buying if we were in for several weeks of severe weather but this looks like 4 or 5 days, what do people possibly need to stock up on for 4 or 5 days?

Common sense !!

PukkaStukka

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

But RTE said not to panic for 24 hours.

That's a bit rich coming from the very one who started all this....:pac:

VinLieger

Went to woodies yesterday evening and the panic buying of coal etc was ridiculous, people walking out with supplies that will last them a month for what will be 5-6 days of cold weather

KingBobby

kod87 wrote: »

I could understand panic buying if we were in for several weeks of severe weather but this looks like 4 or 5 days, what do people possibly need to stock up on for 4 or 5 days?

House bound with a few hungry whingy kids isnt fun. I'd imagine people are making sure they avoid that situation!

RobertKK

Dunnes in Kilkenny was getting very low on the 3 litres milk containers, they seemed busier than normal.

clownface95

Hey lads, I have an interview in cork tomorrow morning at 10 am, I’ve no other option but to drive. I have a tiny Yaris lol. Do you think the conditions will be ok to drive in the morning ?

Kermit.de.frog

clownface95 wrote: »

Hey lads, I have an interview in cork tomorrow morning at 10 am, I’ve no other option but to drive. I have a tiny Yaris lol. Do you think the conditions will be ok to drive in the morning ?

Yes.

bertie4evr

RobertKK wrote: »

Dunnes in Kilkenny was getting very low on the 3 litres milk containers, they seemed busier than normal.

How bad will Kilkenny be hit? The hills surrounding the town usually keep the worst away.

Kermit.de.frog

PukkaStukka wrote: »

That's a bit rich coming from the very one who started all this....:pac:

I've been telling everyone there is no need to panic because there is no need to.

Danno

Don't forget the bog-roll lads!

cnocbui

I have just been wielding a chainsaw to boost wood supplies because if the power goes out for several days, the wood burning stove would be the only source of heat and would have to be cranked up so would go through a fair bit.

I love snow but not snow + sustained power outage.

Macy0161

Alanstrainor wrote: »

What does the packaging say on them? I would imagine and your Tiguan has much larger wheels than the Megane did. So I would guess they will not fit.

They came with a cardboard flyer that had the wheel sizes and the models (at the time they fitted). If the poster had the size and manufacturer I'd be surprised if the tyre sizes it fits couldn't be found.

Not sure I'd chance them unless sure - my mechanic has a tail of woe of wrongly fitted ones wrapping on the axel and doing serious damage!

touts

Oops69 wrote: »

I’m dreading Shane Ross giving updates on transport when everything goes pear shaped from Wednesday ...headwreck.

I'll tell you what will be even better fun. Eoghan Murphy giving updates when all those water meters start going pop as they thaw on Saturday morning.

blanch152

roddy15 wrote: »

And to that I say **** em. Country should be prepared in advance that means making the call on schools early to give parents time to sort out arrangements if schools were to close.

Why? doesn't happen elsewhere.

Mayor of Rome closed schools for today at 7 p.m. last night.

Some of the English train companies announced this morning that people should travel before six this evening.

Early advisory to be alert, which we have had. Calling it at the right time when it is clear what will happen is the second part, which is what is happening.

By the way, if schools are closing, shouldn't most workplaces be closing too?