Snow blankets parts of UK as temperatures fall

People across parts of the UK have woken up to some snow on the ground following the arrival of a cold spell from the Arctic.

Some commuters are facing disruption, and the Met Office is warning power cuts are likely.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for the south and east of England, south Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland until early Thursday.

BBC Weather says many areas of the UK will only see rain during the day.

Heavier snowfall across a band of the country largely covering the north of England, north Wales, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland is then more likely to arrive on Thursday.

Overnight temperatures plummeted to -14.6C in the hamlet of Altnaharra, Scotland - making it the coldest night of the year so far in the UK.

Temperatures also dropped to lows of -8C in the north of England.

In the north of Scotland, temperatures will stay below freezing over the course of Wednesday.

Across the hills of Wales, temperatures will remain close to freezing, while across the south of England, temperatures will come up to 2-3C across the afternoon - making it well below average for this time of year.

The bitter conditions will persist until the weekend, with the conditions expected to worsen further north later in week.

BBC Weather's Jennifer Bartram says the cold spell is due to a change in wind direction "with northerly winds bringing cold air down from the Arctic".

Significant disruption is likely in places, the Met Office has warned, adding stronger winds could lead to blizzard conditions and drifting of snow.

Forecasters predict snow is more likely to settle as the cold weather moves across much of northern England, Northern Ireland and most of Scotland on Thursday.

BBC Forecaster Simon King said heavy snow had fallen across south Wales, the south Midlands and the south of England.

He said: "There is a lot of sleet of rain across the coast and the far south of England, so it's a bit messy.

"That will turn into snow in parts of Wales, the Midlands and the south Pennines as we go into the evening."

Meanwhile, across the south of England, the rain will move through this afternoon.

"The snow from this morning will be washed away by mild air, and the rain will move in later."

To prepare for the cold snap, two old coal-fired power plants started generating power again on Tuesday to help get through the cold snap this week and prevent potential shortfalls.

The plants in West Burton in Lincolnshire were due to close last September, but the government requested they stay open for an extra six months amid fears of possible power shortages.

BBC forecaster Ms Bartram said that although it was not unusual to have snow and cold weather at the start of March, "this feels like a bit of a shock to the system after what was a mild and relatively dry February for most".

"Our main concerns over the next few days are the impacts of snow and ice, which is likely to cause disruption, such as travel delays and cancellations, stranded vehicles and power cuts", she added.

The current warnings in place are:

Some ski resorts in Scotland have opened runs after the heavy snowfall, with Snowsport Scotland saying it hoped the recent weather would be "the start to another boost for the mountains".

"Looking at the forecast, this could be our biggest week of the year," said Alison Grove from Snowsport Scotland.

Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands dropped to -7.6C (18F) overnight on Monday and the hamlet was covered in 12cm (4.7in) of snow - more snow than anywhere else in the UK.

In Scotland, dozens of schools have already been closed as heavy snow continues to cause disruption.

A level three cold alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the whole of England, which is likely to be reviewed in coming days.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, the agency's head of extreme events and health protection, advised people to check on vulnerable relatives, adding that pensioners or anyone with an underlying health condition should heat their home to at least 18C (64F).

National Highways has issued a severe weather alert for snow in the south of England and urged people to consider if their journeys are necessary.

Scot Rail says it aims to run a full service this week, but has advised passengers to check their journeys as disruption is possible. National Rail has also warned snowy and icy conditions could affect south-eastern services over the next few days.

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