A freezing fog is set to cover the UK in its icy grip today as parts of the country continue to be battered by blizzardy conditions and snow fall.
Sleet and snow was anticipated to clear last night, while freezing fog and ‘icy stretches’ were set to descend, according to the Met Office.
The forecaster has now issued six separate yellow weather warnings in parts of the UK as both wintry conditions and travel chaos continue to plague commuters.
Most of Wales and southern England – extending from London and Brighton to Cornwall – will be hit with an icy blast from around midnight until 11am on Thursday.
Elsewhere in northern Scotland snowy conditions are set batter the country throughout the day until midnight, while Derry, Omagh, and other areas of Northern Ireland will also be blanketed by snow until 11am.
Temperatures have already plummeted to their lowest of the season this week and tonight the mercury is expected to drop to -18C in Loch Glascarnoch, Ross-shire, with the BBC reporting it could be as cold as -20C elsewhere in the North.
A yellow fog warning has also been issued for the entire region sparking fears or public transport issues as well as chances of flight delays and cancellations.
Despite the recent bout of frosty weather there are clearer days ahead with some sunshine and drier conditions predicted for many the upcoming weekend.
It comes after southern England was battered by snow as droves of cars battled their way through icy conditions as rush hour chaos descended yesterday.
Footage emerged of vehicles trying to skid their way home on Wednesday, with one lorry abandoned on the side of the road in Hove, Sussex.
Elsewhere a Mercedes slowly crawled its way up a road surface covered in ice before becoming stuck on a back lane, as snow blanketed parts of the county.
In Dorset a car and a gritter lorry glided into one another on a route between Beaminster and Mostersten in the afternoon.
Snow also fell on the sandy Brighton beach as the frosty waves crashed onto the shore and the misty air descended on the coastal town.
One of the UK’s oldest cinema’s was also graced with a sprinkle of snowdust as flakes fell outside the Phoenix Cinema in East Finchley, north London.
A Met Office spokesperson said about today’s weather warning: ‘Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.’
They also warned that there will likely some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths as well as injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.
They added: ‘Thursday night is expected to be the coldest of the week.
‘Over any lying snow in Scotland, this could be as low as -15C, possibly -16C. We recorded -14C on January 17, 2024, at Dalwhinnie, so it is comparable to some recent years.
‘The record low for January is -27.2C on January 10, 1982, at Braemar, so we’re a way off that.’
Yesterday, Met Office issued an urgent amber snow warning for South West England amid concerns up to four inches could settle as temperatures drop to -12C.
The warning was announced just before 2.30pm and activated immediately, running until 9pm last night – with 0.8in (2cm) to 2in (5cm) of snow expected to accumulate on high ground above 500ft (150m) and up to 4in (10cm) above 800ft (250m).
The amber warning came on top of an existing yellow snow warning covering the South of England counties and parts of London from 9am until midnight on Wednesday.
Between 0.8in (2cm) and 2in (5cm) of snow was expected to accumulate widely and as much as 4in (10cm) over higher ground, with sleet expected in South London.
The Met Office said outbreaks of sleet and snow will push in from the South West yesterday – although many places may have seen little to no snow settling, especially on roads.
The Environment Agency issued 91 flood warnings and 179 alerts active for England that day, while Natural Resources Wales imposed a further warning and four alerts.
Meanwhile hundreds of schools were closed again due to the severe weather creating dangerous conditions, especially in West Yorkshire with 190 shut in Bradford.
Flooding also continued to impact rail services across England, including Northern trains between Doncaster and Scunthorpe; Great Western Railway between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall and Merseyrail trains between Hooton and Capenhurst.
It comes after temperatures yesterday morning plunged to -7.8C (18.0F) in Cumbria, with the mercury predicted to fall further to -12C (10F) last night and even -20C (-4F) tonight.
The coldest areas were expected to be in northern Scotland and the North of England.
The UK’s lowest temperature ever recorded was -27.2C (-17.0F) at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on January 10, 1982, and the last time the mercury fell below -20C was in February 2021 when Braemar fell to -23C (-9F).
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said: ‘Weather conditions will start to change from the South West on Wednesday, with fronts from the Atlantic bringing milder air along with moisture.
‘As this moisture encounters the cold air, snowfall is expected particularly over higher ground and away from the coast. However, there is still uncertainty about how far north these fronts will reach. They could either skirt the south or move into southern England.’
Forecasters said Thursday and Friday will bring continued low temperatures with snow and ice warnings ‘likely to be issued as confidence in the most likely impacted areas increases’.
The Met Office added that more snow is possible on Saturday, but milder air will have moved in across much of the UK by Sunday meaning rain is more likely than snow.
BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood tweeted Wednesday morning: ‘It’s another cold start with the risk of ice this morning. But tonight (Wed) parts of N Scot and N Eng could get down to -12C. Thursday night -20C is possible on higher elevations in N Scot, and -10 to -15C in parts of N Eng and N Scot.’
Meanwhile the Environment Agency (EA) estimated that more than 41,000 properties have been protected from flooding across England since New Year’s Eve, but at least 300 properties have flooded.
Snowmelt brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly in the Midlands, following the heavy rainfall over the New Year that saw significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire, the EA said.
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: ‘My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
‘I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.’
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday but later removed for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, where people living in caravan parks were urged by the EA to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Dozens of people have been rescued by firefighters across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Homeowners on Belton Road in Loughborough were stranded on the first floor of their semi-detached houses yesterday after rising water from the nearby Grand Union canal flooded the street.
It comes after Manchester, Bristol, Aberdeen and Liverpool John Lennon airports were forced to suspend flights for a period yesterday because of the conditions.
Stefan Laeger, flood duty manager at the EA, said: ‘Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, operating flood defences, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding, issuing flood warnings and supporting those communities affected.
‘We urge people to remain vigilant over the next few days and advise anyone travelling to be especially careful and urge people to stay away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water as just 30cm (1ft) of flowing water is enough to move your car.’