Pacemaker A man in a red and black puffer jacket, a grey bobble hat and a pair of black sunglasses is riding on a sleigh with a young child dressed in a Pikachu Pokémon costume. Both have their mouths open as they sled down the snow covered hill.Pacemaker

Some made the most of the snow day at Cavehill Country Park in Belfast

A fresh weather warning for icy conditions in Northern Ireland has come into force as the cold snap continues to cause disruption to schools and transport.

More than 200 schools in Northern Ireland were closed on Tuesday and a number of Translink services were affected.

The police have warned that some roads in County Fermanagh are “impassable due to treacherous icy conditions” including Moybrone Road, Letterbreen and Tiravally Road, and Florencecourt.

A yellow weather warning for ice ended at 10:00 GMT on Tuesday but a new one is in place from 18:00 until 11:00 on Wednesday.

A fresh dusting of snow can also be expected in some areas.

The Met Office has urged the public to take care on slippery footpaths and untreated roads.

The school closures were mainly in the north east, north west and west of Northern Ireland.

Ruairí McHugh A lorry stuck across a narrow, ice covered rural road in County Tyrone. The large white vehicle appears to be parked slightly sideways on the road with its lights on. A man dressed in black is walking on the side of the road and a red car is in the foreground. The ditch is lined with trees and is covered in snow. Ruairí McHugh

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane, Ruairí McHugh, warned drivers to avoid Lurganboy Road in Castlederg after witnessing a lorry in difficulty

Transport impacted

On Tuesday, bus services impacted by the weather conditions include:

  • The metro service in Belfast to Lagmore view is not being served
  • In Magherafelt and Cookstown buses may be unable to serve untreated roads
  • The Ulsterbus 128 Carnlough to Ballymena service will not operate
  • The 218 will not serve Drumadoon Park and Ride
  • In Armagh, Omagh and Ballymena services will operate on treated roads only
  • In Larne, the 158 service will not operate until further notice

Reuters A woman, dressed in a large, cream winter coat, is pushing a trolley full of shopping in a car park. On the ground, there are large mounds of snow covered in dirt.Reuters

Shoppers in Ballymena were up against thick snow while bringing their items home

Matthew Craig is balancing childcare and farming in Donemana

Donemana sheep farmer Matthew Craig said it’s been difficult to get about to feed his animals in recent days.

“It’s really been like an ice rink,” he said.

Craig is also balancing childcare and farming as daughters Anna and Beth have been off school, while their mum has been working.

‘It isn’t an easy decision’

A bald man in an Ebrington zip up top stares at the camera

Brian Guthrie spent time clearing pathways at the school in the hope that it would be able to reopen

Brian Guthrie, the principal of Ebrington Primary School in Londonderry, had hoped to reopen today but conditions did not allow it.

“I spent a good bit of time on site yesterday, clearing pathways and so on to make it safe but, unfortunately, as the day went on it seemed more and more schools were making a call to close,” he told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme.

He said the Foyle Learning Community – a network of 13 schools, which includes Foyle College – made a decision to close last night, so he was left with no choice but to do the same.

“It isn’t an easy decision and I know it has an impact on parents, the children and learning and apologies for that but it’s really about making sure our school community is safe.”

Emma Tsang Four snowmen and the start of an igloo in the garden of a house. With a green tree lit up in the background.Emma Tsang

The Tsang family made the most of the snowy weather and built snowmen

Emma Tsang has three children and lives in the Ballymoney area.

A number of local schools have closed, including those attended by her children, as well as their childcare facility.

Tsang said she respects the decision to close schools, as the safety of children and staff is paramount, but added it was “not ideal”.

“It’s a difficult situation for working parents to organise alternative childcare at short notice,” she said.

Ursula O'Hanlon Ursula O'Hanlon has shoulder length brown hair and is wearing a black printed top and makeup.Ursula O’Hanlon

Ursula O’Hanlon is the principal of a rural school in County Londonderry

St Brigid’s Primary School in Tirkane in County Londonderry is among the closed schools.

Its principal Ursula O’Hanlon said the snow and ice has not thawed, and that a decision will be made later on whether the school reopens on Wednesday.

“Nobody wants to be responsible for opening a school and hearing then that someone had an accident,” she said.

O’Hanlon said she cannot expect parents to get children to school when buses are not servicing local roads.

‘Difficulty’ treating rural roads

Paddy Lavery, a principal engineer at the Department of Infrastructure, said there are more than 300 staff members working to keep the main roads open and safe.

Lavery said rural schools will always be a “difficulty” but there are special arrangements to treat some roads.

They follow a scoring mechanism to decide where resources will be deployed.

This includes assessing whether there has been a history of snow and ice around the school, if there is a bus with over 40 seats travelling to the school and the number of vehicles travelling to the school.

Lavery said there is an application process for rural roads to be treated, adding that over 50 schools are treated under special arrangements.

Hospital entrances are also treated under these arrangements.

Three children standing side by side with snowballs in their hands. They are all wearing gloves as they stand in a garden covered with thick snow. The two girls have long blonde hair and the boy is wearing a hat with glasses.

Scarlett (10), Alesha (6) and Dan (8) enjoying the snow in Cullybackey

Scarlett,10, Alesha, 6, and Dan, 8, were playing in the snow in Cullybackey.

“Well what I love about the snow is that I can get it and throw it at him [Dan],” Scarlett told BBC News NI.

She added that they had sleighs at their granny’s house which is “the best thing”.

Dan said he likes to throw snowballs at his sister and “push her down in the snow because I know she won’t get hurt”.

Their father, Steven, said the children are “having a lot of fun” but they do love school.

Isla and Kimberly standing side by side. Isla has very long brown hair which is tied back and is wearing a pink hat, silver glasses, purple puffer coat and jumper. Kimberly has short dark hair and is wearing a red coat.

Isla Morrey, 10, out for a walk with her grandmother Kimberly Allen at the People’s Park in Ballymena, County Antrim

In County Down, the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team has been deployed to help health workers and carers make essential calls to patients’ homes.

Volunteers have been using 4×4 rescue vehicles to transport carers to houses that are difficult to reach in icy weather.

“A lot of the side roads and laneways and so on have become very treacherous,” said Martin McMullan from the team.

“There’s obviously a lot of people living in our community now, particularly in the rural community, with quite acute care needs – not just the elderly.”

Northern Ireland’s Commissioner for Older People, Siobhan Casey, called on people to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours during the cold snap.

Mourne Mountain Rescue Team A Mourne Mountain Rescue Team vehicle parked in the snow in the dark. The 4X4 is white with red and yellow high viz stripes and silver reflective panels. The team's name and logo is on the sides and rear of the 4X4Mourne Mountain Rescue Team

The health service asked volunteers from the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team to transport essential carers to patients’ homes in rural areas

NI Water has urged people to be careful around its outdoor sites, particularly reservoirs and dams, where winter conditions can create hazards.

Reservoir safety and compliance area manager Derek McKane said ice was “nearly always treacherous” and people should not attempt to walk or skate on iced-over reservoirs.

“Reservoirs are not safe places to play at any time of year, but winter brings extra dangers,” he added.

NI Water Altnaheglish Reservoir frozen with snow around itNI Water

Altnaheglish Reservoir in County Londonderry during snowy weather

What is the coldest it’s ever been in Northern Ireland?

The lowest temperature ever recorded in NI was -18.7C at Castlederg in Tyrone during the big freeze of December 2010.

The lowest temperature ever recorded on the island of Ireland was -19.1C at Markree in Sligo in January 1881.