Our present spell of arctic conditions had been widely predicted by the weather forecasters and the indications are that the authorities across Ireland, on both sides of the border, have made the appropriate preparations.
The National Emergency Coordination Committee was certainly taking no chances when it asked every resident of two entire provinces, Leinster and Munster, to be indoors by 4pm today and stay there for the next 20 hours.
While the sub-zero temperatures are not expected to cause disruption at such a severe level in the north, it is clear that all road-users need to exercise extreme caution for a number of days.
It is also essential that careful checks are carried out on elderly and potentially vulnerable neighbours until normality returns to both urban and rural districts.
