The snow along a section of last year's proposed race route for the P&O Ferries Tour of the North that forced the cancellation of the March event.
Cyclists across the country will be hoping Met Eireann’s and the Met Office’s forecasts of snowfall over coming days prove to be off the mark as the new racing season approaches.
Any snowy conditions would derail the training plans of riders planning to start their 2014 campaign at the Ned Flanagan Memorial in Co Kildare this Sunday or the host of races on the following weekend.
These include the Lacey Cup in Tralee, West Coast Wheelers open race in Loughrea, Traders Cup in Dundalk and the Phoenix GP in Crumlin.
Weather conditions were very poor in the run up to last season, with snow and ice making training outdoors impossible for periods and some fixtures, including the Tour of the North, cancelled due to snowfall.
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As well as the racing community, those planning to ride and organise sportives would also be hit hard by snow, especially if it lingered.
In the Republic, up to 6cms of snow is forecast in some parts in coming days and in the North the prediction is for snowfall of up to 10cms.
While the snow-related weather warning issued by Met Éireann today only covers the next couple of days, it warns conditions may “persist” in some parts; something that riders will be hoping does not impact the roads of Co Kildare this weekend for the opening race of the season.
Met Éireann has warned of accumulations of 3-6cm of snow in some parts tonight and tomorrow.
It has issued an orange alert – its second highest warning level - for Donegal, where snow is predicted to reach up to 6cm, starting as early as tonight.
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A snow warning – albeit the lowest, yellow alert – has been issued for Connacht, Cavan, Longford, Westmeath, and Monaghan. Snow is expected to reach up to 3cm in those places tomorrow.
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Met Éireann said some falls of snow are possible in Donegal tonight before turning turn to rain. However on higher ground, above 500ft, the snow is likely to “persist”.
The rain in Donegal was predicted to clear tonight and to give way to sleet and snow, with a “cold and raw” day expected there tomorrow, when heavy showers of hail, sleet or snow are expected.
Hail, sleet and snow showers were also being predicted for later tonight and tomorrow for parts of Connacht, Ulster and some parts of the Midlands.
As with the Donegal warning, higher ground is at most risk of snow falling and persisting. Conditions are also set to be breezy, with gusts of up to 100kmph expected overnight.
In the North, the Met Office is predicting temperatures will drop to just above freezing but will feel as low as -5.
A yellow level warning is in put in place for ice overnight and into tomorrow, Tuesday. Later in the day the ice warning expires and is replaced by a warning for snow. And that is expected to continue until at least Wednesday.
While predictions of snow in the Republic are in the 3-6cm range, in the North the prediction is for between 2-5cms on lower ground but up to 10cm on higher ground, with “wintry conditions” to continue until the end of the week.
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