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New snow, ice and freezing fog warnings issued

Pacemaker A woman jogging along a snow covered path with fields and a fence in the background also covered in snow. She is wearing yellow trainers with spikes, bright pink socks, a blue top, a pink bobble hat and sunglasses up on her head. Above he blue skiesPacemaker
There were snowy scenes on Belfast's Cavehill on Wednesday

A fresh yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for parts of Northern Ireland from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning.

The warning is in place for counties Antrim, Londonderry, Fermanagh and Tyrone from 16:00 GMT until 11:00 GMT.

A yellow warning for freezing fog has also been issued for all of Northern Ireland until 09:00 on Thursday, with visibility expected to fall to less than 100m in places.

Some schools have been closed and police have advised drivers to reduce speed as the cold snap continues to make roads hazardous.

Pacemaker A man in yellow high-viz trousers and jacket and a black woollen hat throws salt out of a bucket on to a footpathPacemaker
Footpaths being salted in Ballymena on Tuesday

Translink has warned passengers that bus services will be subject to delay and disruption due to the weather.

It follows the coldest night of this winter so far after temperatures fell to -7C in Katesbridge, County Down.

Temperatures on Wednesday night are expected to be equally as low, especially in inland areas.

Many yellow warnings are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places.

Other yellow warnings are issued when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower.

Pacemaker A white and blue bin lorry with flashing lights drives on what appears to be a lane of a roundabout that is covered with snow and while snow falls Pacemaker
A bin lorry makes its round through a snow shower outside Antrim town

The Met Office said that "showers of rain and sleet near coasts, and snow inland, will continue to affect the north and west of Northern Ireland this evening, overnight and into Thursday morning.

"As surfaces fall below freezing, this will lead to some icy stretches on untreated surfaces, while a few centimetres of fresh snow could affect some areas, mainly places above about 100 metres."

An earlier yellow warning for snow and ice came into force at 15:00 GMT on Tuesday and expires at midday on Wednesday.

Pacemaker Two horses are lead up a snowy lane by two female horse rides in their 20s wearing full riding gearPacemaker
A snowy trot in County Antrim on Tuesday

Claudy businessman Peter Eakin said there appeared to be a lack of proper planning for the conditions.

"Snow was forecast to come and we know that salting doesn't take away snow but there was ice on the road before the snow came and if the salters had gone out and given a wee bit of preparation, I think it would have made conditions a lot easier," he said.

"There was no road service to be seen, the roads were blocked, there were vehicles stuck - people, in general, just think the rural area is just forgotten about."

Shows Peter Eakin wearing a company coat, standing on the roadside with traffic in the background. He is balding with black-framed glasses.
Peter Eakin said people in some rural areas like Claudy feel let down by the "lack of planning" for the snow

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.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Wednesday, Foyle SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said there is an onus on the department to review how they prepare for a change in weather.

"I do recognise the department can't do every street, their criteria is based on traffic movement … but they could do more to look at where is most vulnerable and where most vulnerable people are," he said.

"It is barmy that one snow shower can bring this city (Londonderry) to a standstill."

The City Cemetery in Derry remains closed to visitors on Wednesday.

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In the Republic of Ireland most of the country is under a status orange ice and cold temperature warning for most of Wednesday.

About 4,000 homes are without water and around 4,000 premises without power as the country's cold snap enters a fifth day.

A spire rises above trees in the town of Dungannon with dark grey clouds overhead and a snow-covered field in the foreground
Dungannon was one of the worst affected areas on Tuesday

Who can get cold weather payments?

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