Watch: Power goes out in parts of Co Down as snowy front engulfs Northern Ireland - conditions expected to persist all night

NI Electricity said “we are aware of a fault in the #Dromore #BT25 area and we will endeavour to restore power as quickly as we possibly can. #powercut #poweroutage”.

The area covered by BT25 is shown in the attached map at the bottom of this story.

Later this evening, power went out in parts of the BT34 area too, encompassing Rathfriland, Kilkeel, and much of the eastern side of Newry.

There were also reports of power outages in the Banbridge area.

Some of the affected homes have since been restored.

A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for essentially the whole of Northern Ireland, except the easternmost coastal fringes.

All in all, the Met Office says this means “heavy snow and ice with strong winds overnight,” adding that “snow will continue through this evening and the first part of the night, but then clearing east, leaving clear skies behind and with temperatures dropping, a risk of ice forming”.

The minimum temperature is anticipated to be -4 °C.

The video on this story is of central Dromore this evening, taken by Roderick McMurray.

More from this reporter:

• Irish border poll 1973 remembered: Unionist recollections of massive pro-Union vote amid SDLP boycott and deepening sea of violence