A yellow warning for snow and ice was issued by meteorologists yesterday, with the warning set to remain in place until noon on Wednesday.
With a number of wintry showers forecast, Stephen Dixon from the Met Office said the weather had the potential to bring disruption to the region.
“Northern Ireland is seeing colder weather at present, giving a first glimpse of a winter feeling to the weather,” he said.
“Cold, Arctic air is currently in charge of Northern Ireland’s weather and this will be responsible for an increased chance of snow and ice over the next couple of days, which has the potential to bring disruption for some.
“A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for Northern Ireland, in force from midnight through to midday.
“Frequent wintry showers will move from the north to the south of Northern Ireland through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, with northerly winds bringing some of those wintry showers well inland.
Snowy weather is to hit NI this week
“Snow is unlikely to accumulate significantly at lower levels, but 1-3cm is likely over higher ground, possibly up to 5cm in places. This will chiefly affect routes like Glenshane Pass and Coleraine Mountain road.
“The intensity of snow showers will reduce on Thursday, but more markedly so on Friday, though it will still feel cool for many.
“The outlook for the weekend is for a return to more of a westerly weather regime, which will bring temperatures back towards average for the time of year, though does introduce some wet and windy weather.”
The Met Office has urged people urged people to take additional precautions, including leaving extra time for their journeys in the morning and keeping up to date with public transport.
Meanwhile, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has said her department’s winter service team is ready to take action during the cold spell.
Some 300 staff and 130 gritters will be available to DfI to salt the main roads to keep traffic moving safely and freely. Twelve specialist snow blowers are also available for deployment.
Ms Kimmins said: “Prior to the start of each winter service season, my Department carries out a significant amount of pre-planning to ensure a state of readiness.
“Staffing arrangements have been finalised, pre-season checks on winter service equipment are now complete and salt stocks have been replenished.
“Our winter service operation remains in place from October to April and every night up to 300 people will be on standby ready to salt around 7,000km of the main road network main roads helping drivers to cope with the wintry conditions.
Snow is likely in NI
News Catch Up – Tuesday 18 November
“This year I have allocated funding of £ 7.3 million to ensure that my Department can deliver a full winter service programme to help keep our roads safe during snow and icy conditions.
“With temperatures set to dip this week and some disruption on our roads possible, staff are now being deployed as necessary.
“We currently have around 70,000 tonnes of salt in stock and in addition approximately 5,850 Salt bins and 52,300 grit piles are also available for use by the public on a self-help basis on selected routes not included on the salting schedule.”