WHILE a yellow weather warning remains in place for Clare until noon tomorrow, normality is returning to the county, following the heaviest snowfall in decades.
Met Éireann has warned that lying snow and ice will continue to cause hazardous conditions, until at least noon tomorrow.
In an update earlier today Clare County Council stated, “There has been a very significant thaw which started at circa 12 noon yesterday and continued overnight-temperatures averaged one to two degrees Celsius overnight. Depths of snow vary from 2-10cm in general terms away from treated roads-yesterday the equivalent depths were 10 to 25 cm.”
By noon today the local authority was in a position to say that “Most roads are now passable with clear tracks made by traffic to tarmac level and in many cases, roads have become totally clear as a result of treatment the thaw and traffic activity on them.”
By the early afternoon the N67 at Corkscrew Hill was the only national route that was impassable in the county.
The HSE Mid West Crisis Management Team was today stood down and issued a statement about the resumption of usual service. “People should expect a gradual return to normal services in the coming days but are asked to check with the healthcare facility in the Community before arriving for routine appointments that might have been scheduled for the coming week. Some of these may be delayed or deferred as the services prioritise those most in need after recent events.
“Home Help and Home Care and Community Nursing support will start to return to normal from Monday and it is expected will be at full service again not later than Wednesday as again we need to prioritise and in some cases give more time to those most in need.
“People with appointments at UL Hospitals should note that Outpatients returns to normal on Monday and elective surgery and procedures will slowly return to normal. If you have concerns about an appointment please contact the relevant hospital.
“People with new presentations and issues are asked to firstly consider all options such as GP, GP Out of Hours, Pharmacy Advice, Local Injury Unit and to only use the Emergency Department in an Emergency. In addition please be aware that all GP services are likely to be under pressure so if your issue can wait then we would appreciate your co-operation with your Doctor.”
While many shops are open today, there are still shortages of bread and milk. Sporting fixtures fell foul of the weekend weather, and both the Clare hurling and football teams are likely to play the games they had postponed this weekend on next Saturday/Sunday.
The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience has been closed since Thursday and is set to reopen tomorrow morning.
Owen Ryan
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.