The wintry weather, which has brought snowfall to parts of the UK and reduced overnight temperatures to nearly -10C (14F), is set to continue into the weekend.
Many areas of the north of England and Scotland woke to freezing conditions on Friday morning, the start of the meteorological winter, as sleet and snow showers continued through Thursday night.
Most of the snow and sleet showers were confined to the coastal areas of eastern England by Friday afternoon, with large parts of the UK experiencing crisp, cold, sunny weather after some early fog.
Forecasters said Friday night was expected to be cold and frosty, with the freezing weather continuing into Saturday, bringing more fog in places.
The Met Office has also predicted showers in coastal areas, which may bring a risk of ice on untreated surfaces on Friday night. There is a risk of mist and freezing fog forming, particularly in the south and east.
A low pressure system moving in from the south-west on Saturday evening could bring some more snow flurries on higher ground, but on Sunday temperatures will rise slightly across many parts of the south of England.
A Met Office spokesperson, Nicola Maxey, said: “Last night was a cold night across the country with a widespread frost as temperatures fell well below freezing for most. The lowest temperature recorded in the UK overnight was -9.4C at Shap in Cumbria. The London area also saw a cold night, with Teddington in Middlesex down to -3.4C, Northolt -2.3C and Kew Gardens -2.2C.
“Colder conditions are now covering all areas of the UK and we will see little change as we go into the weekend. Daytime temperatures will be rooted in single figures and overnight temperatures falling well below freezing in many places. We will continue to see wintry showers at times, and where these showers fall as rain there is a risk of icy patches forming,” she said.
A yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued for overnight Friday to Saturday, covering the whole of the east coast of England, from Northumberland to Kent, as well as the south-west and far north of Scotland.
A woman with her dog in snow in Swarland, Northumberland. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PAThe wintry conditions caused traffic problems in some areas, with North Yorkshire police reporting 100 cars stuck on the A171 between Whitby and Scarborough on Thursday evening. The force advised against travel on the A169 across the moors due to snow and ice.
Snow showers continued into Friday with reports of traffic affected on the A64 Scarborough to York route.
The frosty weather led to school closures in a number of areas, including in County Durham, where about 20 were shut on Friday, citing dangerous road conditions and difficulties with staff getting on site.
The UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued amber cold health alerts in five regions – the east Midlands, West Midlands, north-west, north-east and Yorkshire and the Humber – until 5 December, meaning “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.
For those who may be travelling on the roads this weekend, National Highways advised motorists to keep a winter kit in the car.
Dale Hipkiss, the agency’s national network manager, said: “Keeping a kit of essential items like a torch and warm clothes in your vehicle can be vital in case you and your passengers become stranded.”
Meanwhile, this year has joined 2021 and 2022 as one of the hottest autumns on record in the UK, figures show.
The mean temperature for the past three months was 10.76C, according to provisional data from the Met Office. This is sufficient to rank 2023 as the UK’s sixth-hottest autumn since records began in 1884, slightly below last year (11.05C) and 2021 (10.84C).
All of the UK’s top six hottest autumns have occurred this century, with eight of the top 10.