Northern Ireland weather: Cold snap continues amid weather warning

Northern Ireland’s spell of cold weather is continuing with a yellow warning for snow and ice in force until 11:00 GMT.

The Met Office said snow and icy patches may lead to some disruption to travel.

A separate warning for snow and ice comes into force from 15:00 GMT on Tuesday and expires at midday on Wednesday.

A number of schools in the north and west have closed because of the weather.

The PSNI urged road users are advised to exercise caution due to icy roads throughout Northern Ireland and some bus services have been affected.

Across the UK, flooding and heavy snow have caused chaos in some areas with major incidents being declared in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, thousands of customers are still without water and power as the wintry weather continues to grip much of the country.

Despite the weather Charmaine McNally and Cahill Quinn were out walking their dog Fozzie in Claudy.

“It has to be done,” said Cahill.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said roads considered to be at risk had been salted overnight.

“However road users are advised to exercise caution when travelling, particularly when driving on untreated roads,” the department added.

Translink are advising passengers to expect some disruption to services across Northern Ireland.

Early morning services in some parts of Belfast, Newtownards, Magherfelt, Cookstown, Feeney and Ballymoney are among those service affected.

In Londonderry, council-owned cemeteries are closed – except for funerals – as staff work to clear ice and snow.

Recycling centres at Claudy, Park, Plumbridge, Donemana and Newtownstewart are also closed.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, ESB Network regional manager Brian Tapley said there were still 10,000 customers without power in the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday.

“The conditions are difficult to identify the faults, to switch out the network and to do the repairs, and I suppose that’s why it’s taking us a number of days to get the last numbers of customers back,” he said.

Irish national weather forecaster Met Éireann issued a fresh orange warning for low temperatures and ice has been issued for much of the country for Tueday night.

A yellow warning for snow and ice for the entire country until midday on Tuesday, while Met Office yellow warnings for snow and ice remain in effect across large parts of the UK.

Met Éireann warned of very cold nights over the coming days with widespread frost and ice and temperatures struggling to get above freezing during the day.

The forecaster warned of temperatures as low as -8°C.

The Irish Defence Forces has deployed 18 vehicles and a number of personnel to help transport essential healthcare workers and patients.

On Monday, it was confirmed that the recent wintry conditions had triggered cold weather payments in eight postcode areas in Northern Ireland.

The £25 payment is made to people living in areas where the temperature is recorded or forecast to be 0°C or below for seven consecutive days.

They will be paid to people living in the following postcodes in County Down:

• BT24, 25, 26
• BT30, 31, 32, 33, 34