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Brits are waking to snow-covered landscapes and freezing temperatures as commuters were warned of widespread travel disruption ahead due to an Arctic blast of winter weather.
The Met Office put in place a yellow warning for ice for much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern Wales from 5pm yesterday to 10am today.
Several other warnings for snow and ice have been in force across the UK, with the Met Office advising vehicles could be stranded, power cuts may occur and rural areas could be cut off.
The forecaster warned of snow showers continuing today, accompanied by lightning in some areas.
The lowest temperature so far has been recorded as -11.2C in the Scottish village of Braemar, while there was an overnight low of -7.3C in Shap, Cumbria – and today’s highest is tipped to be just 6C.
Some lying snow could reach up to 10cm or more over higher ground and ice is expected to form on untreated surfaces, with an ice alert in place in London until 10am.
Southern Rail said overrunning engineering works at South Croydon would affect morning trains between East Croydon and Uckfield and East Grinstead, while there is a continuing suspension of services between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales.
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said: ‘We’ve had a fairly mild November so far, so it’ll feel like that first taste of winter for many with that snow and ice risk layered on top.
WHITLEY BAY: As an Arctic blast increases its grip on Britain today, a resident of Whitley Bay in North Tyneside was seen this morning clearing snow from a car
The Met Office has issued a series of yellow weather warnings across the UK
NORTH TYNESIDE: People been warned of travel disruption in the first major snow of the UK winter this year – a pedestrian is pictured walking along a snow-covered street in Whitley Bay
‘The highest accumulations are likely over the mountains in Scotland, where over higher ground you could see around 20cm of snow through this week accumulating on the ground.
‘They are not necessarily the most disruptive snowfalls, but it only takes a couple of centimetres on lower ground to cause some level of travel disruption.’
And the Met Office posted this morning on X, formerly Twitter: ‘It’s a cold start to Wednesday morning with widespread frost across the country.
‘Wintry showers continue to affect northern Scotland and coastal regions through the morning, but expect plenty of sunshine further inland.’
Tuesday saw widespread disruption across the UK, with more than 200 school closures reported by the afternoon.
Snowfall was also widely reported, with 12cm of lying snow recorded at Watnall, Nottinghamshire, on Tuesday morning as an Arctic airmass influenced the UK’s weather.
Thousands of train passengers suffered disruption yesterday morning and a Stagecoach bus in Aberdeenshire toppled onto its side with a passenger on board in icy conditions.
No trains were able to run between Nottingham and Worksop or between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales.
And today National Rail said there were ‘multiple incidents affecting services on the Merseyrail network’, with poor weather disrupting services between Headbolt Lane and Liverpool Central – while a fallen tree blocked Scotrail trains between Inverness and Aberdeen.
NORTH YORKSHIRE: Snow-covered tracks are seen at Goathland station in North Yorkshire, as the winter weather caused travel disruption across the UK
KIRKLINGTON: The sun rises over a frozen St Swithun’s Church in the village of Kirklington, Nottinghamshire this morning after temperatures plunged to -5C
WARWICK: Snow-covered buildings after overnight snowfall in Warwick on Tuesday
PEAK DISTRICT: A car drives through the A57 Snake Pass in the Peak District, Derbyshire on Tuesday
BRADFORD: People use a sledge on a snow-covered hill overlooking Bradford in West Yorkshire on Tuesday
Northern services across Yorkshire between Bradford and Huddersfield, Hebden Bridge to Halifax and Halifax to Hull were also impacted, while flooding near Ulverston in Cumbria caused disruption between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
Police in Northern Ireland urged those on the roads to ‘drive with extra caution while we experience the freezing temperatures as forecast’.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season, warning conditions could be dangerous for vulnerable people, including the elderly.
The amber warning covers the east and north of England, the Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber, with yellow alerts coming into place for the South East, South West and London until 6pm on Saturday.
There are also snow and ice warnings in place covering the north of Scotland as well as western parts of the country until 10am today.
The Met Office said cold northerly winds would continue through the week across much of the UK, with further warnings likely.
It added that temperatures were likely to increase from the south-west this weekend, though this will be accompanied by some strong winds and heavy rain.
Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: ‘With cold Arctic air firmly in place over the UK, continued winter hazards are likely through much of this week, with further updates to warnings likely in the coming days.’
KIRKLINGTON: Snowy landscapes were captured on camera this morning over the Nottinghamshire village of Kirklington, as the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings
The Alzheimer’s Society warned that cold weather can be ‘particularly challenging’ for people with dementia.
‘Colder temperatures can be difficult for a person with dementia to adjust to, and they may not always be able to communicate that they are cold – or they may not even recognise it themselves,’ the charity said.
Another charity, Asthma + Lung UK, urged those with lung conditions to be ‘extra careful’.
The charity cautioned that cold weather can trigger potentially life-threatening asthma attacks or ‘flare-ups’ for people with other lung conditions.