UK weather: Heavy snow triggers avalanche on Mount Snowdon amid plunging temperatures
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Most of Britain is on alert for ice and snow, with “very significant snowfall” expected this week as temperatures plunge to at least minus 10C in parts of the country, the Met Office has warned.
A weather system forecast to arrive on Thursday could break this winter’s current record low of -10.8C and bring up to 10cm of snow to parts of southern England.
Yellow weather warnings issued for snow and ice cover the majority of the UK on Wednesday – with only a narrow sliver of the country north east of Carlisle not affected.
Journeys on slushy roads are set to take “a lot longer” than usual.
You can follow dedicated travel disruption coverage here.
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While much of the country saw heavy snow overnight, other areas received only a light dusting of frost, prompting some deliciously droll satire from the great British public, superbly sending up the London media's obsession with "snowmageddon" hysteria.
We wouldn't know anything about that here. Ahem...
A little more on the record low temperatures forecast.
The year's current coldest temperature for 2019 stands at -10.8C, recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on 18 January. It is likely to be beaten overnight, probably in the north of Scotland, but parts of England could also see negative double figures, according to the Met Office's Alex Burkill.
Benton in Oxfordshire and Santon Downham, Suffolk, are among the parts of England that could be coldest and temperatures across southern areas are forecast to dip to around -8C.
But have no fear. Councils are prepared for the heavy snowfall, with more than 1.4 million tonnes of salt stockpiled to tackle slippery roads, according to the Local Government Association.
The Met Office has issued an updated yellow weather warning for snow and ice on Thursday and Friday.
The forecaster is now warning of more snow and ice between 1pm on Thursday and 9pm on Friday across much of England and Wales.
Rail, road and air travel could be disrupted by the wintry weather, the Met Office said.
Here's The Independent's Toyin Owoseje with a full report on today's weather.
And here's The Indy's Chris Riotta reporting on the polar vortex currently blasting the US, which rather puts our own problems in perspective.
The snow was so heavy in the Shetland Isles yesterday that it saw the complete collapse of civilised society, the townsfolk of Lerwick apparently reverting to Games of Thrones-style barbarism as soon as the first flakes fell.
Or it might just have been the annual Up Helly Aa Viking Festival carrying on as usual. Hard to say.
The scene at the approach to Hunt's Cross station in Liverpool this morning.
Here's the latest on school closures in the worst-hit parts of the country:
Snowfall and freezing temperatures have forced the closure of many schools across the country.
Thousands of children were granted a snow day after the wintry conditions set in on Tuesday night.
Many schools and headteachers took to social media to announce the closures, with some instructing pupils on how to access their homework.
However, other tweets also told the youngsters to enjoy the weather.
Schools across Greater Manchester closed, as well as some in Liverpool, Sefton and St Helens.
Other areas with closures included Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, and the Highlands.
Many local councils tweeted links to their websites outlining the schools that were not open.
Parents and carers wanting to check whether their child's school was open were also able to do so through the Department for Education's website.
Upon entering their postcode they are directed to the council website, detailing all the closures.
Salford City Council, where at least 13 schools closed, listed their names alongside the reasons for them being shut.
These include "staff unable to get to school safely" and "pupil safety and staff unable to get into school".
Additional reporting by PA
Arrivals are reportedly now landing at Manchester and Liverpool airports following this morning's closures.
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