Met Office reports coldest night of the winter so far

England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have all recorded their lowest temperatures of the winter so far, with the freezing weather threatening more disruption through the day.

A temperature of -11C (12.2F) was recorded at Braemar in Scotland, followed by -8.2C (17.2F) at Redesdale camp in the north of England, the Met Office said.

Sennybridge in Wales shivered at -8.1C (17.4F) while Katesbridge in Northern Ireland saw a low of -6.3C (20.6F).

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice and fog, indicating minor disruption and risk, across the entire UK today.

Thursday could bring “very significant” snow, Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said, with up to 10cm (3.9in) expected to settle in areas of higher ground. Lower-lying areas could also get up several centimetres.

Mr Burkill added: “It’s currently just a yellow warning, but it’s not out of the question that will be ramped up nearer the time.

“It’s looking like it will be a spell of persistent snow.”

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: “The Met Office and Met Eireann have yellow warnings in force for most of England, Wales and Ireland for the risk of snow and ice on Thursday as a band of rain spreads slowly northwards to central and southern parts, hitting the cold air and turning to sleet and snow.

“Not everywhere will see snow, but where it does accumulate there is likely to be a couple of centimetres widely at low levels and possibly up to 10cm over high ground.

“Ice will also be a big problem on Thursday morning and by the evening snow will be an added hazard for central and southern parts of the UK and Ireland. Winds will also be strong across the South West.”

Councils have prepared for heavy snow, stocking up with more than 1.4 million tonnes of salt, the Local Government Association said.

The weather has already caused widespread disruption this week.

Liverpool Airport and Manchester Airport closed their runways for most of Wednesday morning as they struggled to shift snow and ice from their runways, delaying dozens of flights.

The deepest snowfall recorded by the Met Office at 9am on Wednesday was 11cm (4.3in) at Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire, which was also the coldest place, along with Leeming in North Yorkshire at -5C (23F).

Schools across Scotland, the North of England and Northern Ireland were closed due to the severe weather, with many going into their second day of closures.

Roads in those areas, as well as parts of Devon and Cornwall, were also badly hit, with gritters and snowploughs unable to work quickly enough to clear the snow and ice.

There was an increased number of accidents as motorists struggled to manoeuvre the snowy roads.

The temperatures in the UK, however, pale in comparison to the Antarctic-like temperatures forecast for parts of America.

The Midwest has seen a low of -46C (-50.8F) when wind chill is accounted for. Authorities are warning that in such conditions frostbite could take hold in minutes.

(c) Sky News 2019: Met Office reports coldest night of the winter so far