If you were up early this morning you would have notice some frost on the ground which is not something that you would normally see this time of year especially during mid may.

Last night the two new weather records were set at weather stations across Northern Ireland but the overall all time low temperatures for May was not broke which was -6.7°C recorded on the 7th of May 1982 Moydamlaght, Derry.

Katesbridge and Castlederg both broke their May low temperature records last night falling to -6.1 °C and -3.9 °C

Katesbridge weather station in Northern Ireland is known as the Icebox of northern Ireland and make the news on a number of occasions during the year due to the cold temperatures it records compared to other places.

But there is a reason why the weather station in Co. Down records such low temperatures

The Katesbridge weather site lies in a natural bowl in which under clear, calm conditions, radiational cooling takes place with the enhancement of cooling air running off the surrounding countryside collecting at the bottom of the bowl. Note that colder air is heavy and lies in lower areas.

The coldest May temperature in the Republic of Ireland ever to be record was back on the 4th May 1979 in Glenties, Donegal with a Temperature of -5.6°C