Northern Ireland authorities issued a fresh yellow weather warning for ice on Tuesday evening as almost 200 schools remained closed amid a prolonged cold snap. The Met Office warning runs from 6pm Tuesday until 11am Wednesday. Temperatures are staying low and road conditions remaining hazardous.
The Education Authority reported 193 schools shut on Tuesday morning, while police urged motorists to exercise caution on the roads. Authorities closed some roads in the worst-affected northwestern areas completely, and Translink bus services were unable to operate in several locations.
The warning comes as temperatures in Northern Ireland continue to hover near freezing, with the previous yellow alert having just expired at 10am Tuesday. The Met Office warned the public of potential injuries from slips and falls on untreated roads, pavements, and cycle paths.
Gritting Teams Working Around the Clock
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins paid tribute to the crews working to keep roads safe. "Staff across all our roads divisions have been working tirelessly day and night in some very difficult conditions, to keep traffic moving over the Christmas period and during this cold snap, which has seen particularly heavy snowfall in some parts of the north", she said.
The department has deployed 130 gritters and 12 specialist snow blowers to treat main routes carrying more than 1,500 vehicles daily - around 28% of the total road network. "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those men and women as they are often the first traffic on many roads, leaving their own families behind to ensure we can travel safely", Kimmins added.
She urged drivers to take extra precautions: "Road safety is paramount throughout the year and particularly when the weather creates risks for road users so I would urge motorists to drive with caution, take the weather conditions into account and leave extra time for their journey."
Across the border in the Irish Republic, a number of schools in Donegal remained closed for a second day on Tuesday. However, Tuesday marked the first morning since Friday that no county was under a weather warning, with temperatures forecast between 3C and 8C during the day.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
