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LAST UPDATE | 9 Jan
A STATUS ORANGE low temperature and ice warning has come into effect for 15 counties this evening ahead of more “extremely cold” weather.
The weather warning for Carlow, Cavan, Donegal, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Westmeath will remain in place until 8am tomorrow morning.
A Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning is also in place for the whole country until 12pm tomorrow.
Met Éireann is warning that it will be extremely cold in those areas with widespread severe frost and ice with lying snow in some areas and patches of freezing fog. Potential impacts include dangerous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot, travel disruption and delays and animal welfare issues.
Weather stations in Athenry and Mullingar recorded temperatures of -7 degrees last night, with many other parts of the country also experiencing subzero conditions.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met again this morning to discuss the ongoing response.
Very cold with widespread frost & ice or black ice❄️
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) January 9, 2025
Most places will be dry early in the night, apart from a few wintry showers in the northwest🌨️
Cloud will increase across the southwest overnight & rain will develop in Munster, turning to sleet or snow on high ground☁️🌧️🌨️ pic.twitter.com/As95pnNKZl
In Northern Ireland, a Status Yellow snow and ice weather warning for Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry is in effect until 10am tomorrow.
Tonight is set to remain very cold with widespread frost, ice and some black ice. The national forecaster said most places will be dry early in the night, apart from a few wintry showers in the northwest.
Cloud will increase across the southwest overnight and rain will develop in Munster, turning to sleet or snow on high ground, while moderate to fresh easterly winds will develop in the southwest.
Otherwise winds will be light so patches of freezing fog will develop, the forecaster said. Lowest temperatures of -7 to -2 degrees.
Met Éireann meteorologist Brandon Creagh told RTÉ’s Drivetime programme this evening that the country can expect to see the cold snap start to ease up from tomorrow, but people should still be careful over the weekend as the thaw will be gradual.
“We do have a warm front slowly making its way towards the southwest, and that’s going to gradually bring temperatures up across today, tomorrow and into Saturday.” Creagh said.
“Saturday is when we’ll see a proper thaw across the country with the snow melting, but for tonight into tomorrow, as that snow melts in the places that still have a good deal of snow and ice, that could possibly freeze again tomorrow night, so we could get some ice again tomorrow night.
“But then as we head into Saturday, we get the warm front pushing up across the country, a high pressure system developing to our southeast, which is going to bring more warm air from the south as we head into the weekend.”
Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland this morning, meteorologist Matthew Martin confirmed that Mullingar experienced freezing temperatures of nearly minus eight degrees last night, the lowest in the country. He added that the lowest temperature ever recorded in Ireland was minus 19.1 degrees in Sligo in 1881.
The lowest of the 20th or 21st century was -18.8 degrees at Lullymore, Co Kildare in 1979.
The National Emergency Coordination Group urged road users to treat every road as treacherous in the context of widespread black ice, to only make essential journeys, to drive slowly and allow extra time for travel.
Cork County Council has reported “significant challenges” in north and north-west Cork due to compacted snow and ice.
Both the Defence Forces and external contractors have been dispatched in Cork to try to help efforts to deal with the weather impacts.
Keith Leonard, National Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, said the weather is going to be “bitterly cold right out until Friday afternoon” and conditions will remain “very difficult” across the country.
He said an Orange warning means that people should be prepared and take account of the local conditions that they find themselves in.
This video of the road conditions on the N21 Castleisland to Abbeyfeale road shows the heavy snow falling and the poor driving conditions. #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/Ui4v7jbEAk
— Kerry County Council - Comhairle Contae Chiarraí (@countykerry) January 9, 2025
Keith Leonard of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management said that the end of the extreme cold is in sight, but the public should still be vigilant when walking and driving, as surfaces can look “deceptively safe”.
“We are continuing to coordinate a cross-government response to ensure the most appropriate supports are happening at local level, and we remain particularly focused on getting those who are still without power or water reconnected as quickly as possible.,” he said.
There were fewer than 200 homes, farms and businesses without power as of lunchtime. That’s down from 59,000 on Sunday. The ESB says the remaining customers affected will have their power restored some time today.
Meanwhile, Uisce Éireann has said the “vast majority” of the 40,000 people whose supply was disrupted at the weekend now have their water back.
However, it said that as the extremely cold weather thaws, it could lead to an increase in bursts and leaks in the coming days.
For Liam Galvin, Fine Gael Councillor for Abbeyfield, Co Limerick, conditions haven’t improved much over the last couple of days.
“The snow has gotten so hard, it’s just like concrete now. So the snow ploughs effectively aren’t doing their job,” he told RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live.
“There are people that are still isolated … Even with the roads that have been ploughed, we still can’t access some private houses.
Meanwhile, homeless services have ramped up operations to try to help homeless people during the cold snap, which can be a “life and death situation”.
Additional reporting by Lauren Boland.
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Unbelievable that these highly skilled professionals have not had a pay rise since 2019.
Even more unbelievable some of the comments backing the management after they posted profits of 223 million last year .
the 200,000 a year they’re on isn’t enough, my heart bleeds for them
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: that’s a captain at the very top of the pay scale who is flying his whole life. The rest are on €50,000 – €60,000
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: only, that’s incorrect so toddle on!
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: When you have to cherry pick, and lie by omission, you just damage your own argument and show you’re in no way sincere in your point.
@Jason Ebbs: publish the scales so
@jak: O’Leary’s boys are unionized now also so he would be going through the exact same process and wouldn’t have any choice but to take what comes. Corporate greed needs to be sorted before it gets out of hand. I support these pilot’s 100%. The rest of the Aer Lingus staff should go out with them and support their rights as employees.
@jak: is that you Michael?
It costs a lot to become a pilot also a lot of time and hard work. If you are skilled at doing something you should be well rewarded. And I for one would want my pilot happy as the proverbial pig
Aer Lingus had an operating loss of €82 million for the first quarter of this year, 800 of the militant beggars intent on bankrupting the company.
@Pat Barry: I take it your in management
@Pat Barry: There were four quarters in a year Pat, when I was going to school.
@Pat Barry:
International Airlines Group owns Aerlingus, it’s operating profit for the first three months of the year was €68m.
IAG owned BA and Luftansa awarded their pilots similar to what Aerlingus pilots are asking. Aerlingus pilots haven’t had a pay increase since 2019 – therfore technically early less than they did 5 years ago.
Aerlingus requested 15 days strike notice knowing well if the union acquiesce, then Aerlingus would not be eligible to compensate its passengers under EU law, nice touch.
Yes, clearly the Aerlingus pilots are the bad guys.
@Pat Barry: if you bothered to read the results, quarter 1 is always their least profitable quarter. Their profits for 2023 were 225 million. You can rest assured they are highly profitable but perhaps reading the facts doesn’t suit your narrative. Source – Aer Lingus website. Suggest you read it.
@Pat Barry: they regularly make a loss in the first quarter. It’s winter season. They clean up for the rest of the year. It was probably mentioned in that article where you got that €82m loss figure from. They made a huge profits last year after a loss in the first quarter. They are growing year after year.and forecasting more profits! Those “militant beggars” salary has lost 20% of its buying power. I think you’d be the same or should we let all companies walk all over us while they squeeze more profits year after year.
@Pat Barry: you don’t judge a company (especially an airline) on profits or losses in ONE quarter. They had profits of €225 million last year
But how will people on the dole be able to take their Social Welfare holidays in the sun now?
Someone please spare a thought for them in this whole mess!
Greed
they fly 700 hours a year ..legal requirement and on average 200k a year .that’s 285 euros an hour ….its not a whiff of greed its a union promoted stink intent on breaking aer lingus
@William O leary: 200k now is the same as around 165k four years ago….. The top of the American pilots scales are around half a million.
@William O leary: Aer Lingus regularly have to cancel flights because they simply do not have enough pilots to fly them all. This is because pilots have voted with their feet, and gone to companies where the pay and conditions are better. Aer Lingus are paying pilots less than, BA, Lufthansa, Air France and nearly all the major US airlines. Pilots are in high demand, and yet Aer Lingus freezes pay for 5 years, and refuses to match the pay of their IAG sister company. Not the cleverest management decision…
@Tanya Burke: and that is the way pay pressure works and should work in private sector. Not strikes.
@William O leary: be careful what they wish for – they’ll end up running the company into the ground. AL are troubled child for IAG, they’ll drop them like a hat. 8% of the corporation
@William O leary: That’s not bad. My family of 4s fare more than covered a pilots pilots pay down and back to Malaga…… On a packed a330. Another 300 passengers and cargo….. I wouldn’t worry too much about breaking that profit making machine!
@Tanya Burke: if all the other airlines are paying so much then why don’t they all leave and move to the other airlines..its a free market..
@William O leary: incorrect. That’s at the very top of the pay scale after many, many years. Most are on 60/70k. Facts can be pesky.
American pilots fly 1000 hours a year…..bit of a difference
I would pay for a pilot than pay for politicians
So they want a quarter of their current salary extra for pressing auto pilot for the majority of a journey lol
Nearly 93% in favour is a good indication of their intent. I hope they get what they want. Too many large companies screwing workers into the ground while raising their prices and reporting huge profits.
Good luck to these pilots. And I hope more people kop on soon.
Has anyone mentioned the free parking at Dublin airport, plus the generous travel concessions for family and friends. Its all on the AL website folks. They also get 21% of their salary paid into a pension fund enjoying tax free growth forever.. The list goes on and on. Am I allowed to wonder if any earn an income off the free parking. Hmmmm.. Only thing they can’t afford is a union that won’t embarass them..!!! Oh did I mention the free parking..
24% raise lol unions destroy companies.
Let’s all hope a deal is struck soon. It’s going to have to end in an agreement either way. I do feel as though the lesser paid pilot grades have a valid claim and should be fairly treated.
The only place where unions still exist with power is the public sector. The private sector employees no longer have that luxury in the hire em and fire em private sector.
@Paul O+Brien: you have no idea how hard it is to fire an employee in Ireland
The one reason I avoid Aer Lingus
@James Gorman: The pilots wanted a raise is the reason you avoid AL? Really?
Firstly I would like to note I am not a fan of striking, bully boy tactics to get your way. But reading the comments above there appears to be v little context on the situation. Last pay rise was 2019. Since the. Minimum wage has gone from 10.50 to 12.70. British Airways a sister company has increased their wages by 23%. While I don’t agree with the strike and the timing….just coming into summer, the euros and olympics. Not to mention that my husband is due to fly for a work meeting on Wednesday so I am already personally affected by the plans. I have to wonder what the management thought would happen.
Reading some of the articles here, it appears rugby is the sport of choice for a particular brand of sc@mbag….
Spare a thought for them if you seen them at the bowling alley
@Shane O Mac: they are rich people alrighty
I’m sure Aer Lingus bookings will be down over 90% going forward until a deal is reached.
I cant see this dragging on too long at that rate.
I’m glad to see it’s a work to rule and not a full strike. A clever move by the IALPA as the pilots continue to fly and get paid .
It’s enough to stop bookings and bring the airline to a virtual standstill over time if negotiations drag on into the summer.
When bookings dry up the rest of Aer Lingus staff could be laid off temporarily.
Aer Lingus management need to get a fair and workable deal done and quickly or huge damage will be caused to the Airline and that’s in nobody’s interest.
I hope the strike is fixed before the 2025 Six Nations
Typically the end of the month is when WTR has greatest effect- so definitely cancellations etc are happening end of next week unfortunately
@You’re Not Serious: Work to rule is worse for passengers than a particular strike date. At least passengers have a heads up their flight is cancelled with a strike…… It’s Russian roulette with the WTR. Anxiety for every EI passenger as opposed to just those affected on the strike date.
To the pilots on the forum and there be many, three questions already posed multiple times without reply. Let’s see if we can do better this morning.
Do you guys use the free parking at Dublin airport for personal trips, holidays abroad and the like?
If a pilot prefers to use public transport to travel to the airport can they allow a third party to avail of it?
Do any pilots earn a 2nd income in this way ?
have your say