Irish supermarket shelves left BARE as shoppers 'panic buy' ahead of snow chaos
Supermarkets across Ireland are reportedly running out of essentials like bread and milk tonight as freezing temperatures and snow grips the country. Shoppers have been sharing images of empty shelves reminiscent of the 2018 'Beast from the East.'
Reports are emerging that some supermarket shelves have been emptied of basics like bread and milk ahead of Ireland's cold snap intensifying.
After a mild Christmas, the country woke up to bitterly cold conditions today, and these freezing temperatures are expected to persist into next week.
Met Eireann has warned the country to prepare for "significant" snowfall and temperatures as low as -10C. Four weather warnings have been issued and they are likely to be updated as the situation evolves. They include two Status Orange alerts, the second highest level, impacting parts of Munster and south Leinster.
READ MORE: Cold snap to unleash rare weather phenomenon as Met Eireann issues stark warning
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Social media is awash with images of bare supermarket shelves, suggesting that panic buying is taking hold. Alan O'Reilly, of the popular Carlow Weather account, shared photos of a Tesco store devoid of bread and milk, commenting: "Ah lads." He noted the shelves had been fully stocked earlier in the day.
Others replied to the weather expert claiming they experienced similar issues tonight. One person shared a picture claiming to be from Lidl Rathfarnham at about 4pm showing no milk left.
Another wrote: "Same in New Ross. No bread in Tesco or Aldi , shelves half of them bare. All panic buying again."
A third shared: "I went to the supermarket after work and the bread shelves were very similar there......."
Someone else shared similar photos, saying: "Same in Tullamore too. Just nipped in around half 5 to grab a few bits because we've been sick all week so no shopping was done, couldn't believe it the amount of empty shelves.."
The situation mirrors scenes from 2018, when the 'Beast from the East' snowstorm brought Ireland to a standstill.
Weather conditions are set to worsen as we head into the weekend. Met Eireann's Deputy Head of Forecasting Liz Coleman said: “A lot of people will be returning home from the festive holidays this weekend. We want people to take heed of the warnings and plan in advance as there will be some really tricky driving conditions out there for a near 24 hour period.
"This rain, sleet and snow will be coupled with blustery east to northeast winds at times which could lead to some drifting snow for a time as well. There are likely to be travel disruptions too.
"The cold Arctic air will return on Sunday evening and stay with us right out into next week. It will be bitterly cold next week with some lying snow, widespread severe frost and ice and scattered wintry showers. There could be further complications with freezing fog at times, so we ask people to stay in contact with the weather forecasts and be prepared."
Weather warning timeline
- 1pm Saturday to 5pm Sunday - Status Yellow Rain and Snow warning for Cork and Kerry
It states: "Heavy rain transitioning to sleet and snow. Potential impacts include hazardous travelling conditions, poor visibility, travel disruption, localised flooding."
- 5pm Saturday to 5pm Sunday - Status Yellow Snow and Ice warning for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow, Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.
It states: "Falls of sleet and snow with snowfall accumulations expected. Potential impacts include hazardous travelling conditions, poor visibility, travel disruption."
- 5pm Saturday to 5pm Sunday - Status Orange Snow and Ice warning for Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick and Tipperary.
It states: "Significant snowfall accumulations expected. Impacts include very difficult travelling conditions, poor visibility, travel disruption delays to public transport likely (air, rail, bus), difficult conditions underfoot, animal welfare issues."
- 5pm Saturday to 5pm Sunday - Status Orange Rain and Snow warning for Cork and Kerry.
It states: "Heavy rain transitioning to sleet and snow with significant accumulations expected. Impacts include very difficult travelling conditions, poor visibility, travel disruption delays to public transport likely (air, rail, bus), difficult conditions underfoot and animal welfare issues."
- 5pm Sunday to 11pm Thursday - Weather advisory for all of Ireland
It states: "Sunday night and much of the coming week will be very cold. Severe frost and icy patches in many areas. Lying slow in some areas will be slow to clear. Wintry showers at times. Potential impacts include hazardous travelling conditions and travel and service disruption."
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