Almost 200 schools in Northern Ireland remain closed amid icy conditions
By Rebecca Black and Cillian Sherlock, Press Association
Almost 200 schools remain closed in Northern Ireland as a cold snap continued.
Police have urged motorists to exercise caution on the roads ahead of a fresh yellow weather warning for ice from 6pm on Tuesday until 11am on Wednesday with temperatures remaining low.
It comes after a previous weather warning for ice expired at 10am, and the Met Office of Northern Ireland has warned the public of the risk of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
Yellow warning of ice affecting Northern Ireland https://t.co/HM8lmfCTjj pic.twitter.com/sgatIFVFap
— Met Office - Northern Ireland (@metofficeNI) January 6, 2026
Around 28 per cent of the road network including main through routes which carry more than 1,500 vehicles a day are being gritted.
Some roads have been closed in the worst affected areas in the north-west of the region, and public transport provider Translink said some bus services are unable to run.
On Tuesday morning, the Education Authority (EA) said some 193 schools were closed.
Stormont Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins paid tribute to gritting teams who worked throughout the Christmas period and the current cold snap.
“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.
“We have 130 gritters available as well as 12 specialist snow blowers available to keep traffic moving safely on main routes.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has thanked staff for the delivery of winter service.
Read more here: https://t.co/hJeknN5y33 pic.twitter.com/dWsiHeNk0H— Department for Infrastructure (@deptinfra) January 6, 2026
“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.”
She added: “We will continue to ensure that our main roads are salted and safe for the travelling public.
“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.”
Elsewhere in Ireland, a series of consecutive yellow-level weather warnings which applied to every county expired at 9am on Tuesday, following days of advisories over low temperatures, snow and ice.
It was the first time since Friday that no county was under a weather warning because of the cold snap.
However, a number of schools in Donegal remained closed for a second day on Tuesday as a result of the wintry conditions.
Meanwhile, there was traffic disruption in Co Cork as the Macroom Bypass was closed in both directions due to a crash.
While parts of the country experienced lows of minus 4.5C on Monday, the highest temperatures on Tuesday were forecast between 3C and 8C.
The lowest temperatures overnight into Wednesday were predicted to be between minus 1C and 3C.
