We may not have had a white Christmas, but the snow is showing no signs of letting up in Northern Ireland.
A yellow alert for snow and ice from the Met Office remained in place for all six counties until 11am yesterday. A new yellow warning was issued that afternoon taking effect from 3pm until noon today.
A snow-covered tractor in Slieve Gallion, Co Derry. Catherine McGeehan
The national forecaster said that today will be mostly dry but cold, with some sunshine and a few coastal wintry showers throughout. There will also be added icy patches, light winds, and a maximum temperature of 2C.
There is a chance of some freezing fog in the southern parts of the province.
There were clear intervals and occasional wintry showers yesterday evening with fresh snowfalls and some ice, but overnight as winds eased, snowy showers died back to northern coastal areas, although it stayed frosty with a minimum temperature of -3C.
Throughout yesterday afternoon, some of the coldest temperatures in Northern Ireland were recorded in Killylane, near Ballyclare, and Lough Fea in Co Tyrone.
A car lies in a ditch after sliding off the road near Donegore, Co Antrim. Picture: Stephen Davison.
There were lows of around -7C to -9C in Katesbridge, Co Down, last night, but more widely temperatures settled to -3C to -5C across the vast majority of the province.
Readers of this newspaper sent in various photos of snowy scenes, including a picturesque Carrickmore in Co Tyrone covered by a blanket of white at 6.30am, as well as a snow-dusted tractor in Slieve Gallion.
A large number of schools were closed due to the adverse weather in counties Londonderry and Tyrone, including Glendermott Primary School, Rossmar School, Our Lady of Fatima Primary School, St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s College, St Peter’s Primary School Plumbridge, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School Greencastle, Gaelscoil na gCrann, Dean Maguirc College Carrickmore, and Donemana Primary School in Strabane.
Sheep search for grass beneath the snow in a field near Antrim in Co Antrim
The Met Office also said that snow and icy patches could lead to some disruption to travel, with the PSNI warning motorists to take extra care on the roads.
A police spokesperson said: “Road users are advised to exercise caution due to icy roads throughout Northern Ireland.
“Stopping distances increase greatly when weather conditions are poor, so slow down and leave a bigger gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front.”
Yesterday evening, officers also advised drivers to avoid the Moyard Road in Kilkeel, between Fofanny Reservoir and Hilltown, as a number of vehicles were unable to move due to inclement weather conditions.
There were two non-fatal traffic collisions reported yesterday morning in counties Tyrone and Antrim.
Emergency services attended the scene of a two-vehicle crash on the A29 between Cookstown and Dungannon, which happened at the junction with the Sherrigrim Road, while there was another incident at the Junction 1 off-slip of the M22 north-bound early in the morning.
Elsewhere in Co Antrim, a car slid off the road into a ditch in Donegore, but no serious injuries were reported.
Snow in Carrickmore, Tyrone. Credit: Aisling Kelly.
Salting of roads on the scheduled network was underway yesterday afternoon and will take place this morning, but road users are still advised to exercise caution, particularly when driving on untreated roads.
Tomorrow and Friday are predicted to be mainly dry and cold, with a few north coast showers at first.
Frost and patchy fog are still expected across the rest of the week, with some snow followed by clouds and patchy rain later Friday or Saturday.
The cold snap will continue until the end of the week for most parts of the UK too, with recent flooding affecting many parts of England.
Amber health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency across England are valid until midday on Sunday.
Other parts of Britain also woke up to a fresh covering of snow yesterday, especially around northern Scotland, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, the West Country and parts of southern England.
Snow falls in the Newtownabbey area
The heavy rain from Sunday and Monday is still bringing some flooding there, particularly in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire.
The number of flood warnings should start to decrease with no further rainfall expected in those areas affected in the coming days.
Where there is still snow cover in England, it could be as cold as -14C to -16C, making tonight potentially the coldest night of winter so far, and tomorrow night may be colder still.
In the Republic, people are being urged to keep their guard up ahead of a Status Orange low temperature warning issued for most counties yesterday and tonight.
Snow and sub-zero conditions have already caused hazardous driving conditions and cut power and water to thousands of homes, with crews from various agencies working to help stranded communities.
The worst-hit counties were Tipperary, Limerick, Cork and Kerry, where authorities have deployed additional supports to clear snow before sub-zero temperatures hit again.