Temperatures could plummet to -11 C in parts of Northern Ireland over the weekend, it has been revealed.
It comes as a yellow warning for ice is in place across the region until at least Sunday afternoon, with severe overnight frosts and wintry showers expected in the coming days.
And these cold conditions are set to continue into next week, with overnight temperatures even expected to dip further.
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Met Office meteorologist, Tom Morgan, told Belfast Live that there are certain parts of Northern Ireland that will be more affected by the colder pinch, but that the impact of low temperatures will be felt by all.
He said: "Most people will experience some very severe overnight frosts, and we do have an ice warning out for some parts of Northern Ireland, primarily in Derry and northern parts of Antrim as that's where we're expecting most of the wintry showers this weekend.
"These showers won't necessarily be falling as snow all the time, on the coast they'll be rain and sleet at times, which will cause damp surfaces which will later freeze as temperatures drop overnight. It will be frosty but mostly dry for southern counties of Co Tyrone, Co Armagh, and Co Down over the weekend."
Some parts of Northern Ireland will even experience snow this weekend, however, Tom said the brunt of this will likely fall across high ground.
"We will see some snow particularly over the Sperrins and the Antrim Plateau for example, and perhaps a dusting of snow in other places, but we're not expecting much of the way of disruption," he explained.
"But if you're off, and wanted to go and see some snow, the higher parts of those mountains may see 2-5cm of snow fall."
Over this weekend and into next week, the weather forecaster is expecting that temperatures will take a dip even further.
"Unfortunately, if you don't like the cold weather and obviously with the situation at the moment a lot of people are struggling, but the bad news is it will stay cold over next week," Tom added.
"If anything, overnight temperatures may actually get lower later this weekend and into next week. We could see -10 or -11 in the more rural areas on Sunday night and Monday night, so some very cold, severe frosts, and daytime temperatures not rising much throughout the day, meaning the frost will just linger.
"We may see some freezing fog patches. Freezing fog can create some slippery conditions, and trees and plants may turn white due to a thick frost, which is something some areas may experience over the weekend and into next week."
Looking ahead towards the end of next week, Tom said it may start to warm up from next Friday or Saturday, but said this may change over the next few days.
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