WEATHER ALERT: Hailstone warning in place for this afternoon

Met Éireann have issued a weather warning for hailstones for this afternoon 30th March 2018.

Heavy showery rain with some wintry and thundery falls. Hail and thunder risks are expected to persist in parts of the south later today and possibly over the Easter weekend along with frost. Hail, in particular will lead to treacherous driving conditions.
 
Hailstones are a year round occurrence in Ireland and can create very dangerous driving conditions due to their unpredictable and localised nature. The RSA have produced a short information video offering simple but effective advice on what to do if you encounter a sudden shower of hailstones on the road. In addition, cruise control should be switched off when driving in hazardous weather conditions.

If you find yourself caught in a sudden downpour of hailstones, here are some tips to be aware of:

- Reduce your speed.
- Use your headlights (remember your day-time running lights only give light to the front of your vehicle.
- Slow down, reduce your speed without braking and increase your braking distance.
- If necessary warn other drivers with your hazard warning lights
- Avoid sudden steering movements or braking suddenly.

 

 

Chief Superintendent Finbarr Murphy of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau advises the following: ‘Hailshowers pose significant risks to road users particularly on motorways. Drivers on motorways need to be vigilant and ready to stop when and if necessary and they need to be able to stop the vehicle safely in order to avoid collisions. Hailshowers have resulted in multivehicle crashes recently. Please drive to the conditions, reduce your speed and increase your braking distance'.