Help Support Cork Safety Alerts – Donate the price of a coffee here via Stripe: https://csalert.ie/donate

Cork County Council’s Crisis Management Team convened again this afternoon to assess road and weather conditions and to plan for the extended cold snap. 

A Met Éireann Status Yellow Snow-Ice warning is now in effect in Cork until midday tomorrow. Wintry showers are forecast to bring further accumulations of snow today and early tomorrow morning. The potential impacts include hazardous travelling conditions, poor visibility, and travel disruption. 

The majority of primary routes have been treated and are passable with caution however Cork County Council is still urging the public not to travel unless it’s absolutely necessary.  

Further wintry showers, rainfall and freezing conditions may limit the effectiveness of salting already undertaken as rainfall can wash salt off the road and, combined with low road surface temperatures, allow ice to form. 

Many priority 3 and other routes remain in very poor condition across north, north-west and mid Cork, and are impassable in places. Cork County Council’s main focus continues to be the priority 1 and 2 routes as well as town and villages. A full list of treatment routes is available here: https://www.corkcoco.ie/sites/default/files/2025-01/cork-county-council-road-treatment-routes.pdf

The N20 from Mallow to Charleville is treated and traffic is moving, however, there is a lot of snow on the sides and middle of the N20 road between Buttevant and Charleville. 

Conditions remain challenging on the following routes:

• R578 Newmarket to Freemount is treated but road conditions remain poor.
• R578 Bog Cross to Dromina remains very poor.
• R515 Newtownshandrum Village remains very poor.
• L1320 – N20 to Churchtown is very poor. Caution is to be exercised in vicinity of railway crossing as road conditions are very slippery.
• R619 to Bweeng is not treated and road conditions are very poor.
• R579 Banteer to Nadd remains closed due to a combination of fallen trees and snow accumulations.

If your journey is essential, please slow down, drive with caution, and be aware of other road users. Allow extra time for your journey. If a road has been treated by a gritter or snowplough, do not assume that the road is safe to travel. There may still be underlying snow or ice which would make the road hazardous. 

Cork County Council’s Emergency Line remains open on 021 4800048 to report any issues.

Cork County Council is continuing to liaise with the HSE and other agencies throughout the severe weather. 

The HSE has cancelled all non-urgent appointments in Cork today (Monday) such as outpatient appointments and other clinical appointments.

The HSE has issued the following information:

• While the majority of appointments scheduled for Tuesday will go ahead as planned, the HSE is asking the public to travel only if safe to do so as road conditions will vary across the city and county. If you cannot safely make it to an appointment, please let your team know and they will reschedule it for you as soon as possible.
• A  number of appointments in North Cork (hospital and community) will be deferred tomorrow Tuesday, and HSE staff will contact those affected directly.
• Staff are providing care urgent and emergency care and this will continue. HSE staff are contacting patients with urgent appointments such as dialysis and chemotherapy to make arrangements.
• The ongoing low temperatures will mean there is a higher risk of slips, trips and falls on icy footpaths and steps. Older people should not venture outdoors in severe weather if possible.
• People who do unfortunately suffer injury as a result of falls are urged to use injury units, thus avoiding possible lengthy waits at emergency departments which are currently particularly busy because of flu. Details of injury units can be found at hse.ie/injuryunits. 

Mallow, Fermoy and Dunmanway Swimming Pools will be closed all day today. The Council’s Mobile Library service has been suspended for the day and will therefore not be operating.

Key Safety Messages: 

• Wintry showers and icy surfaces will lead to difficult travel conditions
• Road conditions will be hazardous, even where roads are gritted, slow down, drive with caution, be aware of other road users and allow extra time for your journey.
• Drivers travelling longer journeys are advised to be aware of conditions right along their route, as the weather may vary significantly across different parts of the country.
• Public transport may also be affected by this spell of wintry weather; people are advised to check with service operators for the latest updates in their area.
• Take extra care while walking: footpaths etc. can be extremely hazardous/slippery due to ice
• Check on elderly, vulnerable and isolated neighbours
• Keep your phone charged and take it with you on all journeys. In an emergency dial 999 or 112
• The Be Winter Ready website https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/aa78b9-be-winter-ready provides further advice on preparing for severe weather.
• Monitor Met Éireann forecasts and/or visit https://www.met.ie/ for the most up to date information. Information is available across social media platforms and other news media sources.
• ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999. The public can monitor www.PowerCheck.ie.
• Uisce Éireann Customers can check their website and social media channels for updates and can report any issues or concerns via its 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278. 
• People are advised to conserve water, and visit https://www.water.ie for advice
• Farmers are advised to take all precautions when dealing with livestock and possibly working alone
• Those travelling by air should allow plenty of time for their journey. Passengers seeking updates regarding specific flights should contact their airline directly.

Cork County Council will continue to provide updates on www.corkcoco.ie and across the Council’s social media channels @Corkcoco.

[themoneytizer id=”90143-6″]