Snowfall causes traffic chaos

The north west is braced for more wintry conditions with more snow forecast over the next few days.
By Olga Bradshaw
Published 13th Jan 2015, 10:33 BST
The hills above Drumahoe were harder hit by the weather than the village and nearby Londonderry. This photograph was taken at Ardmore.The hills above Drumahoe were harder hit by the weather than the village and nearby Londonderry. This photograph was taken at Ardmore.
The hills above Drumahoe were harder hit by the weather than the village and nearby Londonderry. This photograph was taken at Ardmore.

Overnight snowfall caused major headaches for commuters trying to get to work this morning.

The north west was hardest hit, with several centimetres falling in hilly areas around Londonderry.

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Farmland was blanketed within minutes after a short thunderstorm at around 10pm heralded the start of almost an hour of blizzard-like conditions.

The hills above Drumahoe were harder hit by the weather than the village and nearby Londonderry. This photograph was taken at Ardmore.The hills above Drumahoe were harder hit by the weather than the village and nearby Londonderry. This photograph was taken at Ardmore.
The hills above Drumahoe were harder hit by the weather than the village and nearby Londonderry. This photograph was taken at Ardmore.

The snow followed a weekend of high winds and driving rain, with gusts recorded at over 70mph in places.

More snow is forecast for tomorrow, before a slight thaw predicted for Thursday accompanied by driving persistent rain.

Plunging temperatures will bring a return of the Arctic conditions on Friday and Saturday, when even more snow is forecast.

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Sunday will be the brightest day of the week ahead, with some winter sunshine, but the temperatures remain low, with a maximum of five degrees during the day, dropping to a very chilly 1 degree at night.

Londonderry glistens in the distance as commuters woke to several centimetres of snow. This photograph was taken from Tullyally Road.Londonderry glistens in the distance as commuters woke to several centimetres of snow. This photograph was taken from Tullyally Road.
Londonderry glistens in the distance as commuters woke to several centimetres of snow. This photograph was taken from Tullyally Road.

Motorists are warned that temperatures will drop below freezing tonight, making the commute to work difficult tomorrow.

During the rest of the week the daytime temperature will struggle to reach six degrees during the day, with lows in the evening of just one degree.

A number of rural schools are closed.

Related topics:SnowfallMotorists