“Beast From East” Being Compared To ‘Historic’ Big Freeze Of 1982

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has said that the ‘Beast from the East’ Siberian snow which is set to grip Ireland by storm could have as much of an influence on Ireland the historic ‘Big Freeze’ that brought the country to a standstill in 1982.

With a red alert being expected to be issued at any time, Ireland has been warned to prepare for the worst snow in four decades.

Murphy said that: “There is an exceptionally cold weather event on our doorstep, it will have an impact on all of the country, and it will get progressively worse through the end of the week.

“We’re probably roughly 24 hours before we can expect the system to really hit. The closest comparison we have from our forecasts is the event in 1982.”

The Irish Examiner is reporting that blizzards, gale force winds and zero visibility are likely from Thursday onwards with temperatures falling to at least -7 degrees. 

Met Éireann forecaster, Evelyn Cusack also said that the situation has the potential to be as big as the freeze in 1982 which was also something that the Government’s National Emergency Co-Ordination Group (NECG) chair Sean Hogan agreed with. 

In January 1982, a foot of snow planted itself across Ireland and a ten day blizzard followed seeing Irish temps go to a bitterly low -19.6 degrees.