{"id":353296,"date":"2026-01-05T12:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/353296\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T12:26:13","slug":"travel-and-schools-impacted-by-snow-and-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/353296\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel and schools impacted by snow and ice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holly Fleck and Barra BestBBC News NI<\/p>\n

\"PacemakerPacemaker<\/p>\n

The snow was put to creative use by this young child <\/p>\n

A yellow snow and ice warning caused disruption to schools and transport across Northern Ireland on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

The Met Office<\/a> weather warning came to an end at midday.<\/p>\n

In Killylane, County Antrim, temperatures as low as -6.6C were recorded.<\/p>\n

More than 200 schools have been closed on Monday as a result of a weekend of wintry weather. A full list can be viewed here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"BBCBBC WEATHER WATCHER – NIGEL KELLY<\/p>\n

A couple of otters having some fun on the banks of the River Strule in Omagh, County Tyrone<\/p>\n

‘Too many risks involved’<\/p>\n

The principal of St Patrick and St Brigid’s College in Claudy, Phillip McCullagh, made the decision to close the school on Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

He said about 500 pupils will be affected by the closure, as well as staff members.<\/p>\n

After a risk assessment and consulting with nearby schools, Mr McCullagh deemed that there were “too many risks involved” to keep the school open.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Philip McCullagh says it’s “as bad as I’ve seen it”<\/p>\n

“It will take a long time for us to clear our site but also the footpaths as well. <\/p>\n

“It’s as bad as I’ve seen it,” he told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme.<\/a><\/p>\n

Mr McCullagh also noted that learning is impacted as there are many pupils who want to come back and start the new school term.<\/p>\n

\"PacemakerPacemaker<\/p>\n

A thick blanket of snow covered the path near Carrickfergus Castle <\/p>\n

The Met Office said snow showers are expected into Monday with some fresh accumulations mainly over northern high ground, but showers will become isolated later with sunny spells before frost and ice return on Monday evening.<\/p>\n

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has urged motorists to take extra care on the roads, especially in areas which may not have been gritted due to wintry conditions.<\/p>\n

“Clear your windscreen of ice and snow before you set off on your journey, and remember to slow down and increase the distance between you and the vehicle ahead,” police said.<\/p>\n

\"BBCBBC WEATHER WATCHER – Gavan Caldwell<\/p>\n

A snow covered street in Randalstown, County Antrim<\/p>\n

Road service<\/p>\n

Simon Wells from the Northern Ireland Road Service said there has been “virtually round the clock salting of roads”.<\/p>\n

He said the roads that are salted are passable with care and advised motorists to leave more time for journeys.<\/p>\n

“Some of the dual carriageways, you’ll find lane two still has some snow on it because it hasn’t really been trafficked – it has been salted, but it hasn’t been particularly trafficked, people have been sticking to the inside lane,” Mr Wells said.<\/p>\n

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster,<\/a> he said the road service salts any road that carries more than 1,500 vehicles per day.<\/p>\n

“That amounts to roughly 28% of our network which is over 4,000 miles or roughly 7,000 kms and that carries 80% of all traffic.”<\/p>\n

\"BBCBBC WEATHER WATCHER – Gortin Glen Glamping<\/p>\n

These children made the most of a snow day in Omagh, County Tyrone<\/p>\n

Principal of Lislagan Primary School in Ballymoney, Louise Creelman, also made the decision to close the school on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Ms Creelman said she is aware of the disruption that school closures can cause, but said the “sheer volume” of cars arriving at the school is usually “chaotic” on a normal day, never mind when there is snow and ice. <\/p>\n

She said once the weather warning ends she will assess the conditions, and make a decision on whether it will open on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"BBCBBC WEATHER WATCHER – NIGEL KELLY<\/p>\n

A snowy picturesque scene in Omagh, County Tyrone<\/p>\n

\"ThomasThomas Conway<\/p>\n

A flock of sheep in Park, County Londonderry <\/p>\n

Thomas Conway, who is a farmer in Park, County Londonderry, said many roads near him are “impassable”.<\/p>\n

He said that meant that many people in his area were unable to get to work this morning.<\/p>\n

“The main routes are salted and they’re passable with care, but all the by-roads… we used to have local farmers employed to put snow ploughs on them, which helped immensely, but that seems to have all stopped now,” he told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We’ll get through it and we’ll hunker through it and it’ll be fine.”<\/p>\n

\"BBCBBC NI WEATHER WATCHER – STUARTY<\/p>\n

A blanket of snow covers this road in Beragh, County Tyrone<\/p>\n

Cancellations and disruption<\/p>\n

Flights<\/p>\n

At Belfast International Airport<\/a>, inbound and outbound flights were cancelled on Monday morning due to the weather.<\/p>\n

Arrivals from destinations such as Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool, and departures to Birmingham, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and London Luton did not go ahead.<\/p>\n

At Belfast City Airport<\/a> flights to and from Liverpool, Amsterdam and Inverness on Monday afternoon have been cancelled due to weather conditions.<\/p>\n

Both airports have advised passengers to check with the airline or the airport website for live updates.<\/p>\n

The runway at the City of Derry Airport <\/a>is currently closed for snow and ice clearance.<\/p>\n

Flights to and from Liverpool and Edinburgh were cancelled. And a flight from London Heathrow was also cancelled on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

A flight to Glasgow has been delayed, meanwhile a flight to Manchester has been diverted to Belfast International Airport and more information is expected.<\/p>\n

The airport said flights to London Heathrow will be updated in due course.<\/p>\n

\"CityCity of Derry Airport<\/p>\n

The runway at City of Derry Airport<\/p>\n

Public transport<\/p>\n

A number of Translink bus services<\/a> have been impacted by the icy conditions. <\/p>\n

In Magherafelt, Ulsterbus 389a and the 389d town services will not operate until further notice.<\/p>\n

Services in the Magherafelt and Cookstown areas are operating on treated main roads only. <\/p>\n

Several routes in the Ballymena area are also not running as normal.<\/p>\n

The 16:25 325a from Lisburn will not operate.<\/p>\n

Several other services are not operating parts of their routes that have untreated roads.<\/p>\n

Earlier, the 0645 GMT X1 service from Dublin to Belfast was cancelled and the 09:00 127 service from Magherafelt to Ballymena did not operate.<\/p>\n

Council areas<\/p>\n

Derry City and Strabane Council <\/p>\n

Household bin collections have been suspended Cemeteries are closed but burials will continue to be prioritisedSome recycling centres will have a delayed opening Some community centres will be closed <\/p>\n

Belfast City Council<\/p>\n

Belfast Zoo will remain closed on Monday<\/p>\n

Schools<\/p>\n

A full list of school closures can be viewed here.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Education Authority said its transport service planned to operate as normal on Monday but said there may be some disruption or delays.<\/p>\n

\"BBCBBC WEATHER WATCHER – Conzo<\/p>\n

A dog enjoying the snow in Cliftonville, County Antrim<\/p>\n

Republic of Ireland warnings<\/p>\n

In the Republic of Ireland, new warnings for snow, ice, and low temperatures were issued on Monday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A yellow alert for snow and ice for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, and Mayo lasts from 11:00 on Monday until 09:00 on Tuesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A second warning for low temperatures has been issued across the rest of the country for the same time period.<\/p>\n

Irish weather service, Met \u00c9ireann, has warned of further hazardous travel conditions as well as black ice.<\/p>\n

\"CathalCathal McNaughton\/Reuters<\/p>\n

Fun in a snowy Glenariff, County Antrim, on Sunday <\/p>\n

Where in Northern Ireland gets the most snow?<\/p>\n

Northern Ireland’s snowiest areas are its mountains<\/a> \u2013 Sperrins, Antrim Plateau, and Mournes \u2013 while coastal areas get very little snow in most years.<\/p>\n

Snowfall increases with altitude so higher and more northerly areas tend to get more snow during the winter months.<\/p>\n

The mountains can have over 35 days a year with sleet or snow falling, and over 30 days with snow lying.<\/p>\n

Coastal and low-lying areas \u2013 especially near sea level \u2013 get little snow, usually fewer than 5 days a year with lying snow.<\/p>\n

While snowfall varies hugely year to year, exceptional winters like 1962\/63 and 1981\/82 brought deep, long lasting snow event to coastal areas.<\/p>\n

What is the coldest it’s ever been in Northern Ireland?<\/p>\n

The lowest temperature ever recorded in NI was -18.7C at Castlederg in Tyrone during the big freeze of December 2010.<\/p>\n

The lowest temperature ever recorded on the island of Ireland was -19.1C at Markree in Sligo in January 1881.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Holly Fleck and Barra BestBBC News NI Pacemaker The snow was put to creative use by this young…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-353296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}