Sleet and snow forecast as winter weather warning blankets four counties of Northern Ireland - and schools at risk of closing on Monday

Following from a sub-zero start to Friday, that afternoon plus Saturday and Sunday are set to see disruption from freezing conditions.

A status yellow ice warning is in place across Northern Ireland, bar counties Fermanagh and Armagh, from 4pm on Friday until 10am on Saturday.

The forecaster outlined that the cold temperatures could lead to difficult travel conditions and injuries from slips and falls.

Moreover, the Met Office have stated that rain showers will move into Northern Ireland over the course of Friday, and will likely hit again on Saturday night into Sunday morning.

With overnight temperatures set to plummet to between 0°C and 3°C all weekend, Met Office forecasters predict snow on high ground in Northern Ireland and advise people all over the province to beware of ice.

Met Office forecaster Zoe Hutin says that whilst Northern Ireland won’t be as badly affected as the rest of the UK, it is still going to be chilly across the province over the weekend and into next week.

She stated: “Saturday will start reasonably okay in Northern Ireland, with maybe some snow in coastal areas, but there will then be increasing clouds from the south.

"Overnight rain will turn into snow on Sunday, especially in the south-east of Northern Ireland, with the odd flurry elsewhere.

“At lower level there will be around 2-5cm of snow, with worst case 10-15cm of snow in the Mournes. It is most likely that there will be 5-10cm of snow on high ground.

"Snow will be intermittent across Northern Ireland by Sunday morning and it will be a cold day.”

Despite no weather warning in place for the province on Monday as yet, Ms Hutin has warned to “watch this space” as difficult conditions are expected due to cold temperatures.

She explained: “The cold weather on Sunday will more than likely cause freezing ice patches on Monday morning.

"As a result, I would advise motorists to take extra care and more time to do the school run or get to work.

"At the minute, Northern Ireland is not the worst off compared to the weather across the UK this weekend.

"No weather warnings are in place for Monday in Northern Ireland but it’s a case of watch this space.

"We anticipate colder and lower temperatures once again next week.”

Meanwhile, large parts of the UK will be hit with heavy snow and freezing rain over the weekend, forecasters warned, especially in Scotland and northern England.

Stranded vehicles on the roads and delayed or cancelled rail and air travel will all be possible as the UK grapples with a week-long spell of wintry conditions, the Met Office said.

Furthermore, an orange-level snow-ice warning in place for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary for 24 hours from 5pm on Saturday.