PLUMETTING temperatures mean the north could be set for its coldest period for more than a decade.
An ice and snow warning issued today by the Met Office remains in place until at least 11am tomorrow.
The warning came after temperatures overnight into today dropped to -10°C in parts of the north, making it the coldest night of the year so far.
It is feared that if temperatures remain at current levels for a sustained period then it could see a repeat of the widespread disruption experienced in the winter of 2010-11.
Several local temperature records were broken on that occasion, including a new record low for Northern Ireland of −18.7 °C recorded at Castlederg on December 23 2010.
A meteorologist at Met Éireann today said temperatures in parts of the Republic could drop to as low as -11°C.
A Status Orange Low Temperature/Ice warning for 19 counties in the south came into effect at 6pm last night, with an extremely cold night forecast. A Status Yellow Low Temperature/Ice warning remains in place across the Republic until midday tomorrow.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, meteorologist Joanna Donnelly forecast a widespread low temperature of -7°C but said temperatures could drop to -11°C in places.
"There's not a huge amount of precipitation, no sleet or snow apart from a few showers on coasts, but the temperatures are going significantly colder," she said.
"I have the -7 widely in the forecast for overnight tonight, but it's going to be much colder than that in isolated areas, there's -11 showing up on my charts here."
The continued cold snap means Ulster could be forced to move Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup clash against La Rochelle to Dublin.
It was reported that contingency plans to move the fixture to the RDS are in place due to concerns over the Kingspan Stadium pitch.
The game is a must-win match for Ulster after the Belfast outfit suffered a heavy defeat to Sale Sharks in the opening round.
Moving the game from home turf would be a major blow to the team's chances against Ronan O'Gara's champions.
According to reports, one scenario could see the game delayed by 24 hours and played at Ulster's home ground if the pitch can be cleared as happened when Saracens and Clermont played on a Monday in 2017.
