Snow hits Bronte country at Leeming, near Haworth, West Yorks on Tuesday (Image: Glynn Beck/BPM Media)
Thick 20cm snowdrifts could blast Britain overnight into Wednesday as icy conditions forced the closure of over 200 schools – with London feeling its first freezing flurries.
Monday night saw the mercury plunge sub-zero for much of the UK and as low as -11.2C at Braemar in Aberdeenshire – the coldest night since last winter struck.
Commuters faced chaos as they tried to travel into work with roads and rail affected by the ice and blankets of powdery snow, thrilling some schoolchildren who were told to stay at home.
But on Tuesday the Met Office had five snow and ice warnings across Britain for Tuesday, most running into Wednesday, advising vehicles may end up stranded, power lines downed and rural areas cut off.
By the Tuesday afternoon, 141 school closures had been reported in Wales, with 50 in the West Midlands and 19 in Derbyshire with 12cm of lying snow recorded at Watnall, Nottinghamshire as an Arctic airmass waded into our weather.
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Snow flurries hit Merseyside on Tuesday (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The first heavy snow flurry of winter fell in the capital as health chiefs issued a cold weather alert for the city and much of the rest of the country.
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.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan activated emergency protocols to house rough sleepers amid the plunging temperatures.
He said: “The sudden drop in temperature means myself and London councils are activating our Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, opening up emergency accommodation across London.
“If you’re worried about someone sleeping rough, alert Street Link who can help connect them with local services.”
While the Alzheimer’s Society warned that cold weather can be “particularly challenging” for people with dementia, saying: “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.”
Another concerned charity, Asthma + Lung UK, urged those with lung conditions to be “extra careful”.
Thousands of train passengers on Tuesday morning rush hour suffered disruption with some 64 out of a total of 120 services planned by East Midlands Railway cancelled or delayed by at least half an hour.
A collision closed two lanes of the Dartford Crossing while on the Tube, the Piccadilly line was suspended between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge due to “significant leaf fall”.
A Stagecoach bus in Aberdeenshire toppled onto its side with a passenger on board in icy conditions on Tuesday morning in the New Leeds area.
A spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said: “We can confirm that one of our vehicles operating on service X67 has been involved in an incident at New Leeds this morning due to ice on the road.
“One passenger was on board, and there were no injuries.”
Meanwhile the hunt for a missing teen who disappeared amid bitterly cold temperatures on a Scottish island has intensified amid these further snow and ice warnings
Aleksandr Benga, 16, has not been seen since he went missing around 8.45am on Monday near the water wheel in the grounds of Lews Castle in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis.
Police say they are increasingly worried for the teen as bitterly cold temperatures saw the mercury plunge, with the region was handed a 42-hour weather warning for snow and ice until Wednesday.
Snowflakes fall in Merseyside on Tuesday (Image: Liverpool Echo)
The Met Office warn that up to 10cm is likely in some parts of northern England, with up to 20cm possible in hilly areas of Scotland above 300-metres.
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.
“The current focus for upcoming snow and ice risk is from later on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, with snow showers likely moving in off windward coasts in the north and east, as well as drifting into parts of Northern Ireland and Wales.
“In excess of 10cm of snow is possible over higher ground within the warning areas, with 1-2cm possibly settling at lower levels, which has the potential to lead to some travel disruption. Ice is an additional hazard and is likely to form quickly on untreated surfaces.”
The Met Office has issued one yellow snow and ice warning along the east coast of Scotland and England from Berwickshire to Suffolk from 6pm Tuesday to midday Wednesday.
A second yellow warning covers Northern Ireland from 6pm Tuesday to 10am Wednesday.
A third covers the north of Scotland until 10am on Wednesday and a fourth covers much of central and north Wales is in place from midnight until midday on Wednesday.
A fifth snow and ice warning expires at 11.59pm on Tuesday and covered much of central and South Wales.
Looking ahead, the Met Office said cold northerly winds will continue through the week across much of the UK, with further warnings likely.
It added that temperatures were likely to increase from the southwest this weekend, though this will be accompanied by some strong winds and heavy rain.
