The temperature plummeted to minus 13C in Shawbury, Shropshire overnight, making it officially the coldest night of the year so far, according to the Met Office.

The other lowest temperatures were minus 10.1C in Llysdinam in Mid Wales, minus 9.1C in Drumnadrochit in the Scottish Highlands and minus 6.7C in Katesbridge in Northern Ireland. 

Public Health England has extended a cold weather health warning until Thursday and urged elderly and vulnerable people to wrap up warm against Arctic winds. 

Many schools remained closed on Tuesday after overnight ice and snow on the ground created hazardous conditions on the roads and pavements. 

Temperatures will barely get above freezing across most of the country today, as severe frost, ice and some freezing fog patches continue. 

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “Northern Ireland will see some frozen fog patches first thing, temperatures here below freezing. 

“Coldest air is currently sitting across Wales, and through parts of the Midlands where temperatures in the towns and cities are well below freezing, in the countryside minus double figures.”

The freezing fog patches will continue in the afternoon across central parts of Britain but elsewhere in the country it will be a fine and bright day for many in the UK.

A weather front is also moving from the west, bringing cloudy skies, outbreaks of rain, milder air and some hill snow in Scotland and Wales. 

Northern Ireland experienced the first of the rain this morning before it began pushes into Scotland at lunchtime. 

Mr McGivern said: “The milder air this time will get in ahead of the rainfall, most of it will stay as rainfall, even if it comes up against this cold air its mainly going to be as rain at lower levels.

“Some hill snow possibly across Scotland, through the Pennines and Welsh mountains, but we will not see disrupted snow at lower levels from this system.”

The Met Office has just issued a yellow warning for ice from 4pm today until 11am on Wednesday, covering most of the UK, including Wales, majority of Scotland and northern and central England.

At the current time, southern England and south-west England is not including in this warning, nor is Northern Ireland. 

The warning said: “Ice is expected to form on some surfaces from late Tuesday afternoon and last overnight into Wednesday morning.

“The chance of this is highest across parts of Scotland and northern England where rain may fall onto frozen surfaces.

“A few centimetres of fresh snow are also likely on high ground, mainly across Scotland and northern England.”

Will it snow today?

As a weather front moves in from the west, it will bring cloud and rain to western Scotland and Northern Ireland this afternoon.

The weather system will bring cloudier skies and outbreaks of rain, along with milder air, which means most of it will stay as rainfall, even though it does come up agains the cold air. 

But there is a risk of the system falling as snow on high ground in Scotland, Pennines and the Welsh mountains.

The Met Office said: “A few centimetres of fresh snow are also likely on high ground, mainly across Scotland and northern England.”

Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: "This wet weather will bump into that colder air so that does bring the risk of ice. It could be slippery on the roads this evening and right throughout the night.

"Wherever you are, there is the risk of some very icy conditions, whether its the snow melting a little bit throughout the day or this band of rain coming in and hitting those cold surfaces."

Across the majority of the country, there is an ice warning in place from 4pm today until 11am tomorrow.

Will it snow tomorrow?

The band of rain bringing snow to Scotland will push across towards the south and will exit the UK tonight, however snow will continue throughout Tuesday night, mostly in western Scotland. 

It will not be as cold tonight as as last night and most town and cities will be above freezing.

Throughout the day there will be another band of showers sweeping in, this will mainly be of rain, however there could be further snow, especially over the hills of Scotland and Northern England.

A further band of rain will push in later on Wednesday afternoon, which could bring some snow and sleet, mainly to Northern Ireland during the afternoon.

As it pushes into Wales, south-west England and northern England, there will be some snow on the hills, however even at lower levels on Wednesday evening, there could be more snow.