UK travel news - LIVE: Snow and ice cause road closures and flight cancellations across Britain
Yellow warnings for snow and ice were in place across parts of the country
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Your support makes all the difference.Bitterly cold temperatures are swept the UK on Friday, alongside heavy snowfall, ice and freezing fog, particularly in western England.
Yellow warnings for snow and ice were in place across parts of the UK, with overnight temperatures falling to almost -13C in Scotland.
The Met Office warned that road and rail journeys could be disrupted due to the cold weather. Flights were also affected as airports struggled to clear snow.
Further snow and ice are expected.
The RAC says that as of 1pm today, it has been dealing with six breakdowns a minute.
Chief operations director James Knight said:
We are keeping a very close eye on the changing weather conditions, and particularly around the rush hour this evening when snowfall looks likely to coincide with many people driving home after work.
"Conditions are likely to turn to treacherous as rain rapidly turns to sleet and snow, and motorists need to adjust their driving style accordingly. We recommend everyone reduces their speed significantly and introduces a much bigger gap between their vehicle and the next one in front.
“We strongly recommend drivers check local weather forecasts before setting out as some disruption through tonight and into tomorrow looks likely – it might well make sense to delay or cancel a journey by road if it isn’t absolutely essential. Anyone that does set out must ensure they are properly equipped, having packed an emergency kit in case they break down. Spare warm clothes, food and drink and a charged-up mobile phone power pack are all a must.
“There is also a lot every driver can do that can mean breaking down is much less likely. Checking things like oil and coolant levels, and ensuring tyres have plenty of grip and are inflated properly, takes moments but could make the difference between a relatively smooth journey and one disrupted by a very unwelcome breakdown.
Highways England has issued an amber alert for snow, and advised drivers to avoid the following roads if possible from 2-9pm: A30, A38, A303, A417 and M5.
Cornwall has been well and truly hit by the predicted snow, with plenty of images of the southwestern-most county blanketed in white being uploaded to social media.
This live footage from Polzeath Beach in north Cornwall shows just how wintry things have become already:
There are plenty of snowy pictures from Cornwall being shared across social media...
The Chicago River has frozen over, and spectacular footage shows a boat breaking through the ice:
Stansted Airport has its winter operations team on standby for the snow over the next few days.
In cold temperatures, the runways and taxiways are de-iced, and the aircraft are de-iced with a special fluid to stop them icing up again, says airport operations director Nick Millar.
The airport also has snowploughs on hand to clear snow from the runway.
There's a lot of snow in Cornwall – but Great Western Railway trains are still running, according to one commuter...
Chicago O'Hare International has cancelled more than 1,400 flights today, it confirmed, as extreme cold enveloped the US. The airport advised travellers to check the status of their flight with the airline directly.
The Independent's Simon Calder has an update on Chicago travel disruption:
Amtrak has launched what it calls a “Chicago Service Restoration Plan” after all trains were cancelled on Wednesday.
Chicago is the national hub for long-distance rail travel and normally handles 55 long-distance trains each day.
Some services are being restored on Thursday, with most of them running by Friday.
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