Further ice warning in force for Northern Ireland

An overnight ice warning for Northern Ireland has ended.

The new warning came into force at midnight and lasted until 10:00 GMT on Thursday, with the Met Office saying that "ice will readily form on untreated surfaces tonight bringing a risk of some disruption".

A few showers are also expected to linger, especially in counties Antrim, Londonderry, Fermanagh, and Tyrone.

With rain falling onto frozen ground, the risk of icing conditions will be higher in those areas.

Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, storm Goretti is expected to bring some disruption to southern counties on Thursday.

The system, which was named by the French weather service Meteo France, is expected to bring some rain as well as sleet and snow, especially over higher ground.

The alert from Irish weather service, Met Éireann, lasts from noon on Thursday until 20:00 local time.

Northern Ireland is set to escape the worst of Storm Goretti but warnings have been issued across southern areas of Britain, as well as France, Belgium, and The Netherlands.

Four schools were closed on Wednesday. In the north east, Duneane Primary School in Toomebridge, Magherafelt Primary School and Oakfield Primary School in Carrickfergus were shut.

The Royal School Armagh was also closed.

Wintry weather closed about 200 schools on Monday and more than 200 schools on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, flights to and from Belfast International Airport, Belfast City Airport and City of Derry Airport were scheduled to go ahead.

On Monday, some flights to and from these airports were cancelled and delayed.

Bus services operating between Londonderry and Belfast were reduced on Wednesday due to the weather.

Translink said the 212 and 212x services were affected and apologised to passengers for the disruption.

Recycling centres in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area have reopened, with the exception of Spamont and Park.

All cemeteries in the council area were closed on Tuesday.

A number of sports pitches at Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council were closed to the public on Tuesday.

On Tuesday NI Water 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.

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.