Ophelia: Department of Education advises ALL schools in NI to close on Monday

Tonight the Northern Ireland executive's Twitter account carried this tweet: @Education_NI has announced that all schools should close tomorrow (Monday 16 October) as precautionary measure in light of weather warnings.

A statement on The Executive Office reads: "This is entirely precautionary, however given the weather warnings and the fact that the most severe weather is forecast for when pupils are due to be leaving school, the Department believes that this is an appropriate response."

On Sunday morning the Met Office has issued an Amber warning for strong winds across Northern Ireland on Monday.

The warning is in place from 3pm to 10pm and comes on the wake of Hurricane Ophelia. There is potential for major travel disruption, potential power cuts, large waves in coastal areas and flying debris.