COLD weather payments have been rolled out to more households across the north, to areas that have an average forecast of 0C or below for seven days in a row.

The £25 payment will now be made across 11 postcodes covered by weather stations in the Castlederg and Thomastown areas.

It came as another frosty start is forecast with a yellow weather warning for ice in place until noon.

Coastal areas will be most affected, with the warning from the Met Office stretching from Derry to Coleraine, Larne, Belfast and towards the Mournes in Newcastle and Kilkeel.

After a chilling -9C was recorded in Katesbridge yesterday, tomorrow is forecast as another “very cold and mainly dry day” with a few snow showers largely confined to northern areas.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “Although many locations in Northern Ireland will remain dry during this time, a few showers of sleet or snow will push inland from the coasts and fall on surfaces that are below freezing.

"These will bring the risk of some slippery conditions from ice, or a light dusting of snow.”

Met éireann also has a yellow weather warning for across Ireland in place until noon on Friday.

Elsewhere, a yellow snow and ice warning covering northern Scotland and north-east England will continue until noon on Friday.

Braemer in Aberdeenshire took the record for the coldest temperature this year on Tuesday at -17.3C.

While some commuters experienced disruption from the cold weather, Northern Ireland’s two main airports were largely operating as normal.

The RAC said it experienced its biggest day for breakdowns on record, with around 12,000 drivers across the UK needing help.

RAC Breakdown’s Rod Dennis said: “Even our busiest day during the infamous Beast from the East in 2018 didn’t see as many people breaking down.

“We believe two key ingredients have combined to create the worst-ever winter breakdown cocktail – a sustained period of cold weather with an absence of widespread snow that would otherwise keep people indoors, and a big rise in the number of drivers who can’t afford to maintain their vehicles as well as they’d like to due to the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

“Today remains an incredibly demanding day for our patrols, with the rail strikes likely to force yet more people onto the roads.”