WEATHER ALERT: Meath braces itself for Beast from the East

As the country braces itself for the 'Beast from the East', Meath County Council has made preparations and has adequate amounts of salt to ensure that the designated routes are gritted. Gritter trucks have been spotted traversing the main routes through the county this evening as temperatures drop.

Shelves in supermarkets are reportedly empyting fast as people stock up on essentials ahead of the bitter cold snap expected from tomorrow on.

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LATEST HERE:
Minister Damien English issues a statement urging all his Meath West constituents and beyond to make all necessary preparations now for snow this week

"We are looking at very unusual weather events this coming week according to local Meath West Fine Gael T.D. and Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal Damien English.  He is urging local residents to prepare now, and to keep a close eye and ear on Local and National media, including the Meath Chronicle online, as well as Social Media.

"According to Met Eireann it is ikely Tuesday evening will see bands of rain turning to snow with further accumulations for the rest of the
week. Some of the snow showers will be of prolonged duration.  The forecasts are for extremely low temperatures this week.  High winds,
up to gale force strength later in the week could cause blizzards.

MEATH COUNTY COUNCIL:
Pploughs have been fitted to the gritting trucks to clear accumulations of snow as required.

The Council will prioritize the clearing of roads and dealing with individual emergency incidents to ensure, as far as possible, the safety and welfare of the public.

Motorists are asked to adjust their driving style to account for the road and prevailing weather or other environmental conditions.

"We are also asking people to drive with care on rural roads and only undertake essential journeys. Please follow the advice of the Gardaí and the AAwith regard to planned journeys," said a spokesperson.

Empty shelves spotted in Aldi, Kells this evening at 6pm. PIC SUSIE DUNNE.

Meath County Council’s Civil Defence has eight locations around the county and will work with the Gardaí to identify vulnerable people and provide assistance, if required. The local area offices may be also contacted for assistance.

Gritting routes may be viewed on the council's website at http://www.meath.ie/CountyCouncil/Roads/WinterGrittingRoutes/

A Status Orange weather warning is in place for Meath and much of Leinster tomorrow as Storm Emma approaches.
Snow showers later on Tuesday and Tuesday night will lead to accumulations of 4 to 6 cm by Wednesday morning. There will be widespread frost and icy conditions also.

They also already warned that as conditions worsen later in the week, the warning level may be further elevated to Status Red.

Air and ground temperatures are predicted to be 5 to 10 degrees below normal, with significant wind chill and penetrating severe frosts. Snow showers will progressively become more widespread and heavier through midweek. A spell of persistent and heavy snow is expected to extend from the south late Thursday and Thursday night, with significant and disruptive accumulations.

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BUSINESS:
Ibec notes the severe weather warnings forecasted for the coming days. We encourage all businesses to assess the situation carefully and to develop appropriate contingency plans that put employee safety first and mitigate potential disruption. Over the coming days, Ibec will continue to monitor the situation and update members as appropriate.

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MEATH CRIME PREVENTION PAGE:
As you will be aware at this stage, we are due some severe weather in the coming days. Met Eireann has issued a Status Orange warning for Co. Meath. Forecasters are expecting similar blizzard conditions to those which occurred in 1982 (for those of you old enough to remember that was a serious snow event).

The first of the snow is expected tomorrow evening and overnight into Wednesday morning. We advise you to prepare now – have ample fuel in your car if you are driving and carry drinking water, warm clothing, a high viz jacket and have your phone fully charged. Allow extra time for your journey.

Most importantly please check in on neighbours that might be living alone and see that they have enough of fuel and food to get them through this extreme cold spell.

There is an abundance of excellent advice on www.winterready.ie and we urge you to take a look at this website to check the advice being offered.