Snow and frozen temperatures on the way - as if we had enough traffic chaos already!

thomasj

So, all the talk is of the upcoming cold snap, with some forecasters saying this could see snow levels not seen since 1982.

But how ready are we for it? Especially given the chaos seen in Dublin in the last few months and what about our public transport services ?

Even in 2010 we had a meltdown , it could be a crazy few weeks.

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/coldest-spring-weather-since-2010-expected-next-week-as-beast-from-the-east-hits-ireland-829713.html

s14driftking

Expect the country to come to a grinding halt. Then there is the clean ups and flooding to deal with after.

amtc

It snowed on the day I was born...april 5

It snowed april 12 to 14 1999 (i was stranded in rds)

In 2010 it snowed from 3 december to 10 february 2011 (for work reasons I had to report this)

I am on board on our management company and they asked us to authorise griting...but the main road onto the n3 is neither under management company nor council...so really no point

taylor3

Ordered home heating oil yesterday morning at 9am.... still waiting. I'd say their fierce busy. Rang them at 12pm today to confirm they're coming. Still waiting. Have a small bit in the tank but want to top up.

Wishbone Ash

taylor3 wrote: »

Ordered home heating oil yesterday morning at 9am.... still waiting. I'd say their fierce busy. Rang them at 12pm today to confirm they're coming. Still waiting. Have a small bit in the tank but want to top up.

Some filling stations sell it in 25 liter drums if you're stuck.

Stephen15

Like most things in this country I will believe when I see it.

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/theiaincameron/status/967314768938897408

thomasj

Stephen15 wrote:

Like most things in this country I will believe when I see it.

It would take something beyond miraculous for this not to happen.

magicbastarder

maybe he was just referring to filling stations selling 25 litre drums of kerosene...

thomasj

Oh yeah sorry

_Dara_

I have a feeling that this is being built up way too much. Not by the meteorologists who are mostly being cautious, but by layfolk.

tabbey

amtc wrote: »

In 2010 it snowed from 3 december to 10 february 2011

Ah yes, 2010 - the year of two winters!

It snowed in both January and December 2010.

I don't think the snow of December lasted until Feb 2011, I hope nobody was malingering.

L1011

I remember driving back from Carlow on 01/01/10 - it had snowed a little in Carlow in the small hours but it was clear when I left the hotel about 12, half way up the Carlow-Castledermot motorway that had only just opened it went to the road having one barely driveable lane. Crawled the rest of the way back, via the M50 rather than my usual cross-country roads because clearly the entire country wasn't expecting the snow and nothing was cleared.

Not that I'd want to be driving the gritters on NYE myself, but still...

The 12/10 snow did leave snow on the ground and low temperatures until 02/11 in parts definitely. Was driving 100,000km a year at the time and was all too aware of it.

Losty Dublin

L1011 wrote: »

I remember driving back from Carlow on 01/01/10 - it had snowed a little in Carlow in the small hours but it was clear when I left the hotel about 12, half way up the Carlow-Castledermot motorway that had only just opened it went to the road having one barely driveable lane. Crawled the rest of the way back, via the M50 rather than my usual cross-country roads because clearly the entire country wasn't expecting the snow and nothing was cleared.

Not that I'd want to be driving the gritters on NYE myself, but still...

That 1/1/10 was a freak as it snowed, thawed, froze and then took more snow, which then thawed and snowed a second time. I remember going into a pub at 8:30PM on what was a dry evening; at 12:30AM it was carnage on the roads. By midday it had largely cleared from the city

amtc

Believe me it did snow up to 2 February 2011. The only day that there was no weather warning was December 15 2010. I had to apply for force majeure exemption for my job for non delivery of post from the regulator so it's pretty much engrained on my brain!

Hilly Bill

I see the op has a crystal ball there with the foretelling of the impending traffic chaos.
Lads, it might snow a bit its happened before and we survived. Why the doom and gloom? Wouldn't it make more sense to give out about traffic chaos after it happened?

thomasj

Hilly Bill wrote:

I see the op has a crystal ball there with the foretelling of the impending traffic chaos. Lads, it might snow a bit its happened before and we survived. Why the doom and gloom? Wouldn't it make more sense to give out about traffic chaos after it happened?

Because we have too much experience of taking 3 hours to get to places that would usually take 30 minutes.

Not to mention how bad the city is at the moment .

Met eireanns said last night there could be red warnings issued this week and the emergency committee are to meet in the morning

endacl

_Dara_ wrote: »

I have a feeling that this is being built up way too much. Not by the meteorologists who are mostly being cautious, but by layfolk.

The Kings of Wishful Thinking...

thomasj

Time will tell.

Theres too much of a "sure it'll be grand " attitude in the country . It was like that when Ophelia struck.

I think what people are thinking is it will be grand because it won't snow rather than it will be grand because our infrastructure can take it.

So when we do get a real bad bout of weather were in for a real shock.

magicbastarder

there was quite a bit of 'forecasters/met eireann got it wrong with ophelia' from people i know who live in dublin/meath/kildare. because they didn't get battered.
notwithstanding the fact that the southwest *did* get battered, and there were three deaths.

tabbey

magicbastarder wrote: »

there was quite a bit of 'forecasters/met eireann got it wrong with ophelia' from people i know who live in dublin/meath/kildare. because they didn't get battered.
notwithstanding the fact that the southwest *did* get battered, and there were three deaths.

The forecasters got it fairly right, but the wind in the metropolitan area was relatively even. It is the gusting which does the structural damage, and thankfully this was lacking.

The underlying wind strength was more or less as forecast. If the Met office and government had not acted as they did, they would have been blamed if tragic events had been more numerous.

thomasj

https://twitter.com/campaignforleo/status/967772737300320256

Mint Sauce

taylor3 wrote: »

Ordered home heating oil yesterday morning at 9am.... still waiting. I'd say their fierce busy. Rang them at 12pm today to confirm they're coming. Still waiting. Have a small bit in the tank but want to top up.

I would not consider that a wait at all. Most of my local companies would already have their trucks on the road at 9am and deliveries already booked. A 9am call I would be surprised at same day, and wouldn't expect them till the next morning.

Jamie2k9

Hilly Bill wrote: »

I see the op has a crystal ball there with the foretelling of the impending traffic chaos.
Lads, it might snow a bit its happened before and we survived. Why the doom and gloom? Wouldn't it make more sense to give out about traffic chaos after it happened?

I have full confidence that you and your colleges will keep the country moving.

Good opportunity to put the learning from a few years ago into practice...

Isambard

buy all the bread....

thomasj

Jamie2k9 wrote:

Good opportunity to put the learning from a few years ago into practice...

Looking forward to see how Connolly fairs with both m3 parkway and PPT trains in the mix....

Hilly Bill

thomasj wrote: »

Because we have too much experience of taking 3 hours to get to places that would usually take 30 minutes.

Not to mention how bad the city is at the moment .

Met eireanns said last night there could be red warnings issued this week and the emergency committee are to meet in the morning

Just stay at home if you think you won't be able to cope with a bit of snow. Nothing is going to change.

thomasj

Nah I'll be grand, I trust you and your colleagues to get me to work and back ye always do in these circumstances

It's the rest of folk, who don't have heavy rail access that I'm thinking of......

Hilly Bill

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

I have full confidence that you and your colleges will keep the country moving.

Good opportunity to put the learning from a few years ago into practice...

I was up to my knees in snow the last time. Digging out points at 6 in the morning in minus 10. I still had a moany bloke give out that the train is late. I had to get defrosted before being able to make a call regarding the status of his train. I had to drive out there with no other car on the road and the reason for that is people made the decision to stay at home. They didn't go into panic mode wondering how will they cope. Its simple, if you look out your window one morning at it looks like the front of a Xmas card then prepare for your journey time to be longer. If the road conditions are bad then the buses may stop running, the trains will run with the possibility of some branch lines closing due to frozen points, queue twitter going on meltdown due to complaints of over crowding on trains, stations not gritted due to some lazy fecker or the station being closed due to the person not being able to make it in and a branch line closing. The Luas might be OK,
Basically it's not going to be the first so just get on with it.

thomasj

And whatever about the traffic chaos that ensued, I've nothing but admiration that ye keep the show on the road. Ye (Irish rail) did a great job and got us all home at a reasonable time the last time.

Hilly Bill

thomasj wrote: »

Looking forward to see how Connolly fairs with both m3 parkway and PPT trains in the mix....

Connolly will be grand, just stick them in a queue until a platform becomes free. 😁