STRONG “STAY SAFE” MESSAGES FOR MONAGHAN AS HEATWAVE LOOMS

Strong road and water safety messages have been issued to the Co Monaghan public during the current spell of high temperature which is forecast to last into the start of next week. Carrickmacross meteorologist Gerry Murphy said yesterday that the hot spell was expected to meet all the criteria to be officially deemed a heatwave, when temperatures exceed 25 degrees C for at least five days in succession.

Although a Status Yellow High Temperature Warning has been issued for Munster and Leinster from noon today, Thursday until Sunday, Co Monaghan and the northeast generally is not expected to experience the most intense heat. But the public has been strongly advised to exercise caution on the county’s roads over coming days by the Road Safety Authority. “Ireland will experience a hot spell developing from Wednesday and continuing through the rest of the week and the weekend,” the RSA stated.

“Daytime temperatures will widely reach the mid to high twenties and it will remain uncomfortably warm overnight too.” The impact of high temperatures on roads meant that road surface temperatures would rise significantly in the hot weather and surface-dressed roads would be prone to softening of the bitumen, the road safety body pointed out. “This will lead to bitumen slicks occurring on more minor roads. Road users are advised to slow down and exercise caution when braking in such situations.

“In high temperatures the RSA is advising road users, particularly drivers, to be aware of the dangers posed by ‘sun glare’. Sun glare can result in drivers being temporarily dazzled or blinded by…