Just when you think winter is finally over...

An Garda Síochána have issued a safety warning to members of the Irish public today regarding Good Friday's inclement weather forecast. The statement referenced Met Éireann's upcoming forecast for Good Friday evening, which includes heavy rainfall, hailstones and expected thunder. "Met Éireann have issued a weather warning for hailstones for this afternoon 30 March 2018," the statement read. "Heavy showery rain with some wintry and thundery falls. Hail and thunder risks are expected to persist in parts of the south later today and possibly over the Easter weekend along with frost. Hail, in particular will lead to treacherous driving conditions. "Hailstones are a year-round occurrence in Ireland and can create very dangerous driving conditions due to their unpredictable and localised nature. The RSA have produced a short information video offering simple but effective advice on what to do if you encounter a sudden shower of hailstones on the road. In addition, cruise control should be switched off when driving in hazardous weather conditions." Gardaí also highlighted the fact that such a forecast may lead to hazardous driving conditions for Ireland's road users. A number of collisions have already been recorded across Ireland this Good Friday, Gardaí said, the majority of which have been in the west and south-west. "Gardaí attended a number of incidents yesterday which occurred on the M6 (junctions 14-15), M7 (junctions 22 -24) and M18 (junctions 15-16) between Roscrea and Gort and involved a number of vehicles. The incidents occurred between 2pm and 8pm. "In addition Gardaí also attended a number of other collisions on the Dunkettle Interchange Cork, Whitefriar St, Dublin 8 and Rathjordan, Herbertstown, Caherconlish. "A table of Road Traffic Collisions on the M7, M6, M8 and M18 where a total of 36 vehicles were involved in the 12 incidents." A number of injuries but no fatalities were reported. An Garda Síochána also provided step-by-step instructions on how to react should you find yourself driving and caught in a sudden downpour of hailstones.

• Reduce your speed.
• Use your headlights (remember your day-time running lights only give light to the front of your vehicle).
• Slow down, reduce your speed without braking and increase your braking distance.
• If necessary, warn other drivers with your hazard warning lights.
• Avoid sudden steering movements or braking suddenly and don’t forget to keep an eye on forecast and travel bulletins.

Chief Superintendent Finbarr Murphy of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau advised road-users to exercise caution when driving this Easter weekend. "Hailshowers pose significant risks to road users particularly on motorways," Murphy said. "Drivers on motorways need to be vigilant and ready to stop when and if necessary and they need to be able to stop the vehicle safely in order to avoid collisions. "Hailshowers have resulted in multi-vehicle crashes recently. Please drive to the conditions, reduce your speed and increase your braking distance."