Dublin woke up to a blanket of snow and ice this morning, but the pretty weather soon threw traffic and travel into chaos.
Motorists were forced to face dangerous conditions as ice caused major delays across the capital for the morning. At 9am there were almost 600 traffic jams reported on Dublin roads, according to traffic website TomTom. This is 111% higher volume than a normal Friday.
The M50 in particular saw long delays as queues built up throughout the morning. One person driving from Kilkenny to Dublin reported that the roads were a "mess".
LIVE: Follow all the weather updates here
Dublin Airport was also impacted as passengers were faced with several delays. Flights from Dublin to Palanga, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Amsterdam were all delayed this morning.
Many passengers took to Twitter to say their planes have been left waiting for hours on the runway due to ice. DAA confirmed that de-icing was causing disruption.
A spokesman said: "While the runways and taxiways at Dublin Airport have been open and operational all morning, some airlines are experiencing delays to their flight schedules due to difficulties de-icing their aircraft. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest flight information."
Irish Rail reported several delays and cancellation this morning. DART services saw 45 minutes delays with the Greystones/Bray, Malahide, Howth and Maynooth services all affected. Docklands station was forced to close.
The Luas Red Line was hit with cancellations There was no service operating between Belgard to Saggart. Services were only operating between Tallaght and The Point/Connolly. However the service is now back up and running with expected delays. The Green Line also faced 20 minute delays.
Things are not expected to improve today, as Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather confirmed there will be little or no thaw. He also confirmed the cold snap could last for most of next week.
Speaking to Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One he said: "It is going to last right through the weekend and into next week. It now looks like it's going to last most of next week. It looks like it's going to stay cold up until the end of next week, possibly milder air coming in next weekend.
"We look like we're stuck in this very cold but mainly dry pattern for at least another seven days."
Those struggling to walk on the icy paths are unlikely to see any improvement today as temperatures will struggle to go above freezing. Alan confirmed that the paths are unlikely to thaw today saying: "If the sun can get out, it will only thaw where it hits. There really won't be much thaw."
Read more:
- Snow blankets Dublin as temperatures to drop to -5C tonight with more severe weather this weekend
- Irish drivers could face €2000 fine for making one big mistake when defrosting car windscreen
- Safe driving tips for snowy and icy roads as cold snap hits Dublin
- Dublin Bus confirm Christmas Nitelink timetable for 2022
Dublin Christmas tree expert reveals secret to getting the best tree for your home
