Met office weather warning ends with several schools remaining closed

Tomorrow, all parts are set to have a dry and cold day with some bright or sunny spells and a maximum temperature of 4C.

It is set to last from 4pm today until 10am tomorrow, and will be in force across Co Antrim, Co Down, Co Londonderry and Co Tyrone.

The Met Office has said that the continuing adverse conditions could lead to some disruption to travel.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “Scattered wintry showers on Thursday evening will slowly fade overnight, leading to the risk of icy patches on untreated surfaces as temperatures fall below freezing.

“Isolated snow accumulations of 2-4 cm will be possible, more especially in Wales on hills above 150m elevation.”

The coldest weather is yet to come, with forecasters predicting that tonight could see the mercury drop to its lowest point of 2025 yet.

Temperatures in the Scottish Highlands are expected to drop as far as -20C, but in Northern Ireland, it is thought that tonight will see -6C at its worst.

The lowest temperature recorded overnight here over this new year period was -6.9C at Katesbridge near Banbridge on Tuesday, into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

This morning and afternoon will be very similar to yesterday, with sunny spells and wintry showers in the north, and highs of 2C expected again.

Then temperatures will recover into the weekend, with milder air moving in from the west.

“Please don’t leave your car unattended whilst the engine is running to defrost windows.”

Police are also asking road users to ensure their windscreen is clear before driving and to take caution on icy roads.

The alert is in place from 5pm today until 9am tomorrow morning.

Freezing fog is expected to become more extensive and thicken across Northern Ireland this evening and overnight, with visibility falling to less than 100 m in places. Once formed the fog may well persist into Thursday morning. Some icy patches will also develop on untreated surfaces bringing an additional hazard.

In Belfast this evening, thick fog is already reducing visibility in these areas in particular:

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.