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.
Gardaí attended a number of incidents yesterday which occurred on the M6 (junctions 14-15), M7 (junctions 22 -24) and M18 (junctions 15-16) between Roscrea and Gort and involved a number of vehicles. The incidents occurred between 2pm and 8pm.
In addition Gardaí also attended a number of other collisions on the Dunkettle Interchange Cork, Whitefriar St, Dublin 8 and Rathjordan, Herbertstown, Caherconlish.
A table of Road Traffic Collisions on the M7, M6, M8 and M18 where a total of 36 vehicles were involved in the 12 incidents.
No. Date Route Location Time No.Vehicles Conditions Comments
1 29/03/2018 M7 J22 – J23 14:11 1 HAIL Between Roscrea and Moneygall
2 29/03/2018 M7 J22 – J23 15:01 3 HAIL Between Roscrea and Moneygall. Helicopter used to remove one Injured to Hospital
3 29/03/2018 M7 J22 – J23 19:23 4 HAIL Between Roscrea and Moneygall
4 29/03/2018 M7 J24 - J23 19:46 6 HAIL Between Toomevara and Moneygall - Incidents on both sides of Carriageway
5 29/03/2018 M6 J14 – J15 16:11 12 HAIL On N6 Concessions PPP section at Junction 15 Ballinasloe west
6 29/03/2018 M18 J15 – J16 19:28 4 HAIL Between J15 Crusheen to J16 Gort
7 29/03/2018 M8 J4 – J6 17:15 1 HAIL Between J4 Urlingford and J6 Horse & Jockey
8 29/03/2018 M8 J4 – J6 17:15 1 HAIL Between J4 Urlingford and J6 Horse & Jockey
9 29/03/2018 M8 J4 – J6 17:15 1 HAIL Between J4 Urlingford and J6 Horse & Jockey
10 29/03/2018 M8 J4 – J6 17:15 1 HAIL Between J4 Urlingford and J6 Horse & Jockey
11 29/03/2018 M8 J4 – J6 17:15 1 HAIL Between J4 Urlingford and J6 Horse & Jockey
12 29/03/2018 M8 J4 – J6 17:15 1 HAIL Between J4 Urlingford and J6 Horse & Jockey
Total Vehicles 36
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
Don’t forget to keep an eye on forecast and travel bulletins. For more information, check out this informative video from the RSA:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHagNrOQGYk
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'.
Images of the collision on the M6, involving the airlifting of an injured person are available on the Garda Facebook.
Note to editor: A number of injuries were reported but no fatalities. No further information will be available in relation to the injuries.
