Travel chaos in blizzard Britain: Snow and ice drive roads to shut and colleges shut with new Met Office climate warnings to hit in hours as temperatures plunge to -12C
Temperatures in Britain could plummet to as low as -12C tonight as heavy snow continues to cause travel chaos, power cuts and school closures.
Met Office weather warnings for snow and ice remained in force across the UK this afternoon and tonight, with further ice alerts for tomorrow morning.
A UK Health Security Agency amber cold health alert will be active for parts of England until Saturday amid concerns over the impact on health and social care.
Meteorologists said the country was ‘still in the grip of a cold, Arctic air mass’ with temperatures expected to drop sharply tonight, falling widely below freezing.
Commuters were urged to expect icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, with lows potentially falling to -12C in rural parts of Scotland.
Some 100 schools or nurseries shut in northern Scotland; while 33 schools were closed in North Yorkshire and eight were listed as fully closed in East Yorkshire.
Thirty schools shut in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion – while National Grid said hundreds of properties in those areas of Wales lost power.
It comes after temperatures in Northern Ireland, England and Wales fell to their coldest of the season so far last night.
A car stuck in the snow on the A169 on the North York Moors this afternoon
People walk through blizzard conditions on the North York Moors this afternoon
A stranded lorry on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby on the North York Moors today
A girl walks in the snow in Whitby this afternoon as North Yorkshire is hit by wintry weather
The Met Office has issued a series of yellow and amber warnings for today and tonight
The overnight lows were -6.6C at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, -6.4C in Sennybridge in Powys and -2.8C at Altnahinch Filters in Co Antrim.
Scotland’s lowest temperature recorded overnight into this morning was -6.4C in Dundreggan, Inverness.
The Met Office said a weather station in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands recorded 9cm of snow today, while Dyce in Aberdeenshire had 6cm.
Aviemore in Invernesshire had 5cm, Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales, 4cm, Boulmer in Northumberland 3cm and Bodmin in Cornwall 2cm.
The weather service also said ‘thundersnow’ – where thunderstorms form in wintry conditions and cause heavy downpours of snow – was seen in Aberdeenshire and off the coast in the north-east yesterday.
A spokesman said: ‘There is a risk we could see more today off the coast of eastern Scotland and North East England.’
In North Yorkshire, drivers have been warned to only make journeys that are necessary after heavy snow overnight hit roads and disrupted bin collections.
In Sunderland, a car overturned on the A19 in snowy conditions, while in Pembrokeshire, the county council warned there were ‘extremely hazardous conditions on most roads’ in the area as snowfall continued.
A number of Pembrokeshire roads were closed, including the B4329 Preseli Road, and vehicles are blocking the B4314 from Tavernspite to Cold Blow.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber and yellow cold health alerts for England
A total of 631 properties were without power, the county council added.
An amber warning was in place in the North East until 9pm, and the Met Office said frequent wintry showers could lead to ‘significant snow accumulations’.
These could leave vehicles stranded, homes without power, rural homes cut off and delays to public transport.
Eight yellow weather warnings for snow and ice were in place in various other parts of the UK today, including Northern Scotland, South West Wales and Cornwall.
Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said: ‘We’re still in the grip of a cold, Arctic air mass today and into Friday, and that means further wintry showers for some, and ice, particularly overnight.
‘Multiple warnings are currently in place, with new warnings for the overnight period issued.
‘Temperatures will fall sharply again tonight, with lows potentially reaching -12C in rural parts of Scotland and widely below freezing elsewhere.
‘As temperatures fall overnight, ice will form on untreated surfaces and may cause some travel disruption tonight and into Friday morning.’
In Scotland, more than 90 schools were shut in Aberdeenshire, while two were shut in Moray.
In the Highlands, seven were closed, while many delayed their opening times due to the weather.
The conditions also caused disruption on roads in the region.
Cars driving through snow on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby this afternoon
A snow plough on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby on the North York Moors today
An overturned car on the A19 near Sunderland this morning as heavy snow hits the North East
A car stuck in a ditch off the A171 Whitby to Guisborough Road in North Yorkshire today
Snowy conditions at Cullercoats in North Tyneside today as the wintry weather continues
A vehicle tows a stranded lorry on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby this afternoon
A family go sledging on a hill next to the A171 Whitby to Guisborough Road in Yorkshire today
Snow covered fields off the A169 between Pickering and Whitby on the North York Moors today
The A90 in Aberdeen was closed in both directions between the Cleanhill roundabout and the Stonehaven roundabout this morning because of snow, with reports of many vehicles being stuck. Police advised motorists to avoid the area.
Conditions will be drier for many by tomorrow, with temperatures gradually turning milder and rain reaching the West later on.
Into the weekend, forecasters expect a ‘shift to milder, more unsettled, Atlantic-driven weather’.
This is expected to ‘bring cloud, rain and some stronger winds at times, but also a reduction in the wintry hazards we’ve seen over recent days’.
The Met Office is also ‘keeping an eye on Wales and the Midlands, where saturated ground conditions may increase the likelihood of low impacts’.
Conditions will remain chilly, but temperatures are set to ‘gradually edge back towards more typical values for the time of year’.
Into next week, the Met Office said a ‘gradual settling trend is expected’.
This will see ‘north to northeasterly winds confine rain and showers increasingly to eastern areas, whilst cooler air arriving in the north may allow some wintriness to develop in the extreme north of the country by the end of Monday’.
