Scattered showers and bright spells to follow heavy snow that forced road closures in Fermanagh

Several schools around Enniskillen were closed due to many roads becoming impassable overnight and into Friday morning.​

Police said they had received several reports of vehicles becoming stuck in heavy snow in and around Enniskillen in the early hours.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Police are advising motorists to avoid the Derrylin Road, Enniskillen, towards Bellnaleck, as recovery operators are attempting to recover a lorry. Please consider whether your journey is necessary. If you must travel, do so with extra caution."

Irvinestown Primary School, Erne Integrated College and Mount Lourdes Grammar were among the schools that announced they would be closed.

In a message on social media, Erne Integrated said: “Dear Parent/Carer and Students. Having risk assessed the adverse weather conditions, Erne Integrated College will be closed to students and staff today. Please stay safe and we look forward to seeing you all on Monday 4th March.”

A Met Office spokesperson said scattered showers on Saturday could be wintry over the hills, with a maximum temperature of 7C, but that Sunday will be a drier day with “spells of sunshine for all in the afternoon”.

Commenting on the outlook for the start of the week, the spokesperson added: “Any early brightness will be replaced by cloudy skies on Monday, but spells of rain will sweep in later in the afternoon and evening with strengthening winds. Tuesday will be cloudy and wet for much of the day”.

Meanwhile, provisional Met Office figures show the UK has experienced its fifth warmest and eighth wettest winter on record, with the mean temperature across the country for December, January and February at 5.29C – ranking behind 1998 (5.35C), 2016 (5.47C), 2007 (5.54C) and the record-holder 1989 (5.79C).

Rainfall in Northern Ireland last month was lower than usual, at 92% of the long-term average, though it was the joint sixth warmest February since records began.