Northern Ireland should be braced for more severe weather warnings this week, the Met Office has warned.
It comes after a cold snap across the UK and Ireland resulted in flight cancellations, road closures and the postponement of sporting fixtures over the weekend.
Freezing temperatures have been causing widespread disruption, with snow blanketing parts of England, as well as higher ground in parts of Northern Ireland.
A yellow weather warning for ice is in place in Northern Ireland until 11am on Monday, with further warnings possible.
Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham airports temporarily closed their runways on Sunday due to heavy snow overnight.
Flights to and from Leeds Bradford Airport to Belfast City Airport were cancelled, as well as some flights from Manchester and London City.
Two All-Ireland senior GAA semi-finals scheduled for Sunday were postponed, including a tie between Tyrone’s Errigal Ciaran and Kerry’s Dr Crokes.
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Saturday saw the postponement of four Irish Cup fifth round matches.
A Met Office spokesperson told the Belfast Telegraph that a low pressure system is moving eastwards, meaning we will be returning to a northerly set-up, bringing NI back to the kind of weather we saw last week.
The spokesperson said there will be a return to cold northerly winds, with frequent showers, many of which will fall as snow, particularly over higher ground.
Snow across the country as cold weather warning extended to Thursday
Between 5-10 cm of snow is possible over the Mournes, Sperrins and Antrim Hills, with lighter patches elsewhere.
“So it’s a return to the similar picture to last week of snow showers, low temperatures, and overnight frosts,” they said.
“Keep up to date with the forecast and keep an eye on the warnings, because it’s possible that further warnings could be issued for Northern Ireland through the week.”
The Met Office said there will likely be disruption to travel and some infrastructure, with ice posing a hazard, particularly on untreated services.
The Met Office advised: “Keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy. Plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal. Not needing to rush, reduces your risk of accidents, slips, and falls.
“If you need to make a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery. Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated.
“Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.”
The weather warning for ice in place until 11am covers all six counties.
Naimh McElroy of NI Water urged people to take extra care around waterways, stating that loughs and reservoirs can “look frozen but if they freeze over it’s impossible to tell how thick the ice is”.
She warned that “ice can be thin in places” and there is a “very real risk of someone drowning”.
“Dog owners also need to remember to keep four legged friends on a lead if they are being walked near reservoirs and other bodies of open water,” she added.
On Sunday evening in the Republic, approximately 59,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power.
ESB Networks said homes, businesses and farms in counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Carlow, Laois and Wicklow were impacted.
In a statement, it said: “We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank impacted customers for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power.”
Speaking on Sunday, Taoiseach Simon Harris said: “It is really important people continue to be very vigilant when it comes to road and travel conditions and also that we all look out for people in our community who may be vulnerable or isolated during this period.
“The very cold weather will continue for much of this week and our teams at national and local level will continue to work hard.
“The impact of snow and sleet and rain freezing in the coming hours and remaining frozen will need to be monitored very closely.”
As well as the power cuts, as many as 30,000 properties in counties Kerry, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Limerick were without water due to the weather.
It is anticipated there may be school closures in the Republic on Monday.
Meanwhile, stranded vehicles and crashes left key roads in northern England closed on Sunday, with several rail services also cancelled.
With up to 40cm of snow predicted in some areas, the Met Office warned that some rural communities could be cut off.
On Sunday, there were scores of properties in the Midlands, south west England and in Wales without power.
Across the UK on Monday, seven yellow weather warnings be in place: five for snow and ice in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, in addition to two for rain in Wales and in the south west of England.