Weather warning in place for Northern Ireland as wintry showers continue

The warning for icy patches on some roads remains valid until 10am this morning, but the cold and breezy conditions are expected to last for another few days.

Snow is forecast to lie on higher ground as overnight temperatures last night dipped to -2C.

The maximum temperate today is expected to be 4C, with further snow showers likely in many areas.

Temperatures should rise slightly on Wednesday and Thursday before dropping again on Friday.

The Met Office said it will be “less cold on Wednesday with some showery rain”.

A spokesperson added: “Thursday breezy with some rain in the afternoon. Then colder again on Friday with sunshine and wintry showers”.

Northern Ireland has largely escaped the worst of the wintry weather affecting other UK regions – with temperatures last night plummeting to -7C in parts of Scotland and northern England.

The snow and ice in many parts of Scotland comes after the Met Office said highs of 17.9C (64.2F) were recorded in Pershore, Worcestershire, on Easter Sunday. The town saw temperatures of 7C (44.6F) yesterday, an 11C fall.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “There’ll be a drop of 11 degrees between one day and the next, so you will definitely notice it.”

Mr Partridge explained that a change of wind direction would bring a change in the atmosphere, leading to chilly weather.

He said: “The air we had on Sunday came in from the south so it’s pretty mild having come off the continent.

“Overnight we’ll see a cold front moving southward across the country, it’s already across northern Scotland, and it’ll push its way southward overnight. That will introduce much, much colder air across the whole country.”

Snow warnings are in place for northern Scotland, with as much as 15cm falling in higher areas.

Other areas will see snowfall of 1cm to 2cm.

The Met Office has said that while snow showers will largely be seen in the North and North West, they could occur nearly anywhere in the UK early in the week.

Yesterday morning, light snow was seen as far south as parts of London.

Average temperatures for this time of year are around 10 to 12C but parts of the UK saw the mercury reach nearly 24C (75.2F) on Wednesday.

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