Today's Edition
London (PA Media/dpa)
Large parts of Britain will be hit with heavy snow and freezing rain over the weekend, forecasters have warned, after temperatures fell as low as minus 5°C overnight.
Stranded vehicles on the roads and delayed or cancelled rail and air travel will all be possible as the UK grapples with a week-long spell of wintry conditions, the Met Office said.
Initial data indicated that Rostherne in Cheshire and Yeovilton in Somerset dropped to minus 5°C overnight, just shy of previous estimates which suggested the mercury could dip as low as minus 8°C.
In Scotland, Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway felt the same chilly temperatures, hitting minus 5°C at 11 pm (2300 GMT) on Thursday.
The coldest temperature recorded in January last year was minus 14°C, in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands.
A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place from 12 pm on Saturday until 9 am on Monday and covers most of England and Wales, while a separate warning for heavy snow from midnight on Sunday until 12 pm on Monday has been issued for most of mainland Scotland.
North-west England, Scotland, North Wales and Northern Ireland were also given a fresh yellow warning for icy surfaces, in place from 4 pm on Friday to 10 am on Saturday.
Travel delays are possible along with a "small chance" of power cuts and injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, forecasters said.
