Warning: Yellow

To expect: Ice

Affected areas: Northern Ireland

Start time estimate: Thursday midnight

End time estimate: Thursday 10am

The Met Office has announced a Yellow ice warning for Northern Ireland for Thursday.

A Yellow weather warning is in effect on Thursday, starting from around midnight and running until 10am. The forecast indicates hazardous conditions due to ice formation in the impacted regions.

The Yellow alert for ice was issued at 10:40am on Wednesday, January 7.

A Met Office forecast said: “After a band of rain clears through on Wednesday evening, clearing skies will allow temperatures to fall rapidly bringing an ice risk overnight, especially on untreated surfaces. A few showers will also persist across counties Antrim, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh, adding to the ice risk in these areas with rain falling on frozen ground.”

What to expect

Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

What should you do?

Keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy:

• Plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal. Not needing to rush, reduces your risk of accidents, slips, and falls.

• If you need to make a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery.

• Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated.

Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.

Be prepared for weather warnings to change: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area.

For further details see Met Office Warnings & Advice.

What is a yellow weather warning?

The Met Office has three categories of weather warning, depending on the likely impact of severe weather and also how likely it is to strike in a particular area.

A yellow warning is issued when weather conditions are expected to disrupt travel and traffic and may impact on daily routines but are not likely to pose a risk to life or property.

An amber warning is more severe and advises people to think about changing their plans to minimise the risk.

A red warning means weather conditions are expected to be dangerous with widespread damage to property and a risk to life, with the public usually advised to avoid travelling.

The Yellow weather alert for ice will remain in place until 10am on Thursday.