Ice warning issued in NI until Thursday morning

The warning comes into force at 15:00 GMT on Wednesday and lasts until 11:00 on Thursday

An ice warning has been issued across Northern Ireland.

The Met Office has said a few wintry showers could lead to ice forming in untreated areas.

Between one and three centimetres of snow could fall in some places, especially over high ground.

The warning came into force at 15:00 GMT on Wednesday and lasts until 11:00 on Thursday. Any showers are expected to be a mix of rain and sleet around coastal areas.

This comes after thermometers plummeted to -10C in Northern Ireland overnight, making it the coldest night of the year so far.

The Met Office has said a few wintry showers could lead to ice forming in untreated areas

The temperature - recorded in Castlederg in County Tyrone - was the lowest anywhere on the island of Ireland.

The town also holds the record for Northern Ireland's lowest-recorded temperature of -18.7°.

That all-time low was recorded during the big freeze back in the winter of 2010.

Armagh recorded the second lowest temperature overnight of -7.5C while Katesbridge in County Down followed with -7.3C.

The bitterly low temperatures will remain until the start of the weekend.

Milder air will bring a brief warmer spell on Sunday with temperatures reaching the low double figures.

Warm welcomes

Many of Northern Ireland's councils have set up dedicated web pages as one-stop-shops for information on their own services and those run by different organisations in the borough.

They serve as a directory of timetables and contact details on a range of cost-of-living issues, such as food banks, warm spaces and financial support.

• Antrim and Newtownabbey

• Ards and North Down

• Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon

• Belfast City Council

• Causeway Coast and Glens

• Fermanagh and Omagh

• Mid and East Antrim

Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland a number of Status Orange warnings - the second highest level of warning - have been issued across much of the country.

The first comes into force at 18:00 on Wednesday and will last until 12:00 on Thursday.

The second comes into force at 18:00 on Thursday and lasts until noon on Friday.

Met Éireann is warning of extremely cold conditions on both nights with widespread temperatures below -5°.