Northern Ireland due two more freezing nights - and GB facing double-digit extremes of cold

Northern Ireland had been braced for another frigid night tonight, with temperatures expected to dip to about -5C and a yellow warning for ice and snow covering the north and the west of the Province – something which remains in place until 11am tomorrow.

Temperatures throughout the day are not expected to rise above 2C.

After that the mercury will plunge once more overnight into Friday, with the Met Office predicting lows of -6C.

"But it could be that Thursday/Friday is the last freezing night in Northern Ireland as milder air moves in," said Met Office forecaster Oli Claydon.

He is forecasting highs of 5C on Friday, rising to 6C on Saturday, and 9C on Sunday.

Although tomorrow is set to remain chilly, at least Northern Ireland is set to escape some of the extremes seen elsewhere in the UK.

The Met Office was forecasting that temperatures in Scotland and northern England could go as low as -13C tonight, and even as low as -16 tomorrow night.

A temperature of minus 16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, since minus 22.3C was logged in Altnaharra in the Highlands on January 8 2010, according to Met Office data.

Today's lowest reading in Northern Ireland was recorded at Katesbridge, Co Down, where thermometers plunged to -6.9C at 8am, followed by -5.4C at Altnahinch, Ballymena at 8.36am.

Glenn Cuddy, deputy president of the UFU, said that it was -5 or -6C when he left home in Co Tyrone on Wednesday morning.

He said a number of farmers – including himself – had been called on to come to the rescue of motorists left stuck on icy roads in recent days.

"We as farmers who live in the countryside at still willing to help people on the roads, and try and get them safelty to their work," he said.

"I was called on the other morning in and around six o'clock. A car skidded off the road and hit a ditch. I had to rescue him and get him going again.

"That's one of the things about living in the countryside – farmers will always help somebody who needs help."

But ultimately, he said, "it's just the normal cycle".

"I'd say there'd be farmers would be glad of some frost to freshen the air up a bit – it was nearly too mild for a while there," he said.

"It's nearly good to see some winter come in.

"We're not into lambing time or calving time yet. Maybe in another six weeks or so things would be different."

Car insurer RAC said it has seen the highest levels of demand for rescues in a three-day period since December 2022.

“Cold conditions will last until at least the weekend, so we urge drivers to remain vigilant of the risks posed by ice and, in some locations, snow,” said RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson.

“Black ice on rural roads can be impossible to spot, leaving very little time to react if driving at speed. Sticking to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted is strongly recommended.”

Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday, meaning a rise in deaths is likely.