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The UK has been hit by a wave of snow and ice today, with the big freeze expected to continue tomorrow.
Temperatures in parts of Scotland reached -10C last night, causing mass disruption to travel. The Met Office has said the parts of the country may see -12C tonight, advising people to brace for adverse conditions.
Yellow weather warnings are currently in place in large parts of the Midlands, Wales and the North East, with snow and ice set to disrupt roads and railways. Cumbria has been hit by a more severe amber warning for snow, advising that power cuts are likely.
Glasgow Airport was forced to temporarily suspend all flights this morning as many inbound flights were diverted, delayed or cancelled. The inbound Wizz Air flight from Budapest landed at Edinburgh, while a Ryanair jet from Malaga touched down in Prestwick.
The Met Office’s yellow warning extends to Sunday, when the Midlands, Wales and Yorkshire can still expect heavy snow and ice.
For the latest on the cold weather across the UK, following our live blog here
Met Office yellow warnings for December 02
(Met Office)
The freezing weather is being caused by a blast of cold air from northern Scandinavia, resulting in a particularly cold snap for many northern and eastern parts of the UK.
After a relatively mild November, temperatures plummeted this week with snow falling on Wednesday morning across parts of Yorkshire and Scotland. The flurries continued into Thursday evening with North Yorkshire Police reporting 100 cars stuck on the A171, between Whitby and Scarborough.
And on Friday morning, icy conditions on the roads resulted in 20 schools in County Durham closing.
In London, where commuters woke up to temperatures of -4C on Friday morning, mayor Sadiq Khan activated a “severe weather emergency protocol” for accommodation to be opened for rough sleepers.
This afternoon will see cold temperatures from Scotland to London, as the South West begins to break out of the cold snap
(Met Office)
Things remain similar overnight, with South Wales beginning to warm up
(Met Office)
Finally, Sunday morning will see southern parts of the country above 0C, while Scotland remains at risk of more freezing temperatures
(Met Office)
The first snow of the season was even reported in parts of the capital including West Hampstead, Ealing and Islington.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “Last night was a cold night across the country with a widespread frost as temperatures fell well below freezing for most.
“Colder conditions are now covering all areas of the UK and we will see little change as we go into the weekend.
“Daytime temperatures will be rooted in single figures and overnight temperatures falling well below freezing in many places. We will continue to see wintry showers at times and where these showers fall as rain there is a risk of icy patches forming.”
The cold weather has brought some beautiful scenery, like in this picture of the Angel of the North statue in Gateshead covered in snow
(PA Wire)
The yellow weather warnings in place warn of disruption to roads and railways, and of the risk of icy patches on roads, pavements and footpaths.
Alongside the Met Office warnings, the government’s UK Health Security Agency has amber cold health alerts in place for five regions: the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber until December 5.
The alerts warn of the cold weather impacting the regions’ health services.
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