Limerick schools to remain open amid weather warnings
SCHOOLS are to remain open this week, said Minister Darragh O'Brien this Sunday following a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group.
The group will meet each day this coming week as Met Éireann has a Status Yellow weather warning in place until Friday.
The housing minister said the message for the public is that life will go on as normal but people are being advised to take extra care during this cold spell.
Mr O'Brien said blackouts are not expected and the public should take care, particularly on the roads and to look in on elderly or vulnerable neighbours. Temperatures could fall as low as minus 8 to minus 10 degrees in places over the coming days.
Separately this Sunday, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is warning road users of the dangers posed by freezing fog which has been forecast by Met Eireann in many parts of the country this week.
Combined with temperatures leading to a widespread severe frost, with a risk of icy roads, this poses a safety risk for road users, said an RSE spokesperson.
"As visibility is reduced in such conditions a collision involving one vehicle can quickly involve many others, especially if driving too fast and too close to one another. The greatest risk is of a multiple-vehicle pile-up on roads with higher speeds such as motorways and dual carriageways.
"Dense fog reduces visibility greatly and makes driving very dangerous. However freezing fog, when liquid fog droplets freeze to surfaces, can make it difficult to keep the windscreen surface clear," said the spokesperson.