Bitterly cold temperatures are swept the UK on Friday, alongside heavy snowfall, ice and freezing fog, particularly in western England.
Yellow warnings for snow and ice were in place across parts of the UK, with overnight temperatures falling to almost -13C in Scotland.
The Met Office warned that road and rail journeys could be disrupted due to the cold weather. Flights were also affected as airports struggled to clear snow.
Further snow and ice are expected.
Snow and ice warnings are in place for parts of Scotland and all of England and Wales for Tuesday and Wednesday this week as cold, unsettled conditions bring the chance of disruptive snow to all parts of the UK.
According to the Met Office, a cold air mass is established across the UK, and a low pressure system heading for France will bring snow and wintry weather to many parts of the country as it meets this cold air.
Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said, “As the moist air from a weather system bringing storms to France clashes with the cold air sitting over the UK, it brings the chance of wintry showers and snow disruption to most parts.
“It’s not possible at this stage to be certain where exactly will see the worst impacts of any snow, but people need to be prepared for the possibility of disruption and make sure they check the forecast regularly.
“Areas of higher ground are most likely to see significant snowfall, so it’s particularly important to take extra care when planning and travelling in those places.”
There is the risk of further disruptive snow and ice to parts of the country towards the end of the week, most likely south and central UK.
Several cars have become stuck in South Gwynedd in north Wales due to heavy snow.
The first of the yellow weather warnings from the Met Office concerns Wales, northern and western England. A band of rain will arrive around midday on Tuesday, then move eastwards through Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The rain will turn quickly to snow on hills. Above 200m, 3-5 cm snow is expected, increasing to 10 cm in places.
A patchy covering of 1-2 cm is possible at lower altitudes. As skies clear overnight, ice is likely to form, while wintry showers will follow into western areas on Wednesday morning.
Police are warning drivers to take care after the snowy conditions have already caused several accidents today.
A car flipped onto its roof near Shap in Cumbria, while in North Wales there have been reports of cars stuck on the A487 in the Upper Corris area.
With the East Midlands and South East due to be hit by snow from 5pm on Tuesday 29 until Wednesday at midday, Transport for London has activated its cold weather plans.
TfL said: “Cold weather, including snow in certain parts of the region, has been forecast for the next few days.
“We have put our cold weather plans into effect which include:
“London Underground and Overground de-icing trains running overnight; heating points to keep trams running; gritting roads, including cycle lanes to help keep the roads, footways, rail stations and cycle lanes open and safe.”
Heavy snowfall is being reported across Lancashire and Yorkshire, with many sharing their pictures on social media.
Ben Gledhill tweeted: "Already snowed in in the North West and it’ll only get worse."
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How to get your money back if your train is delayed in the snow
Advice on claiming your money back when your train is late or cancelled – for whatever reasonHighways England has warned that drivers should take the time to ensure that they and their vehicles are prepared for the snow and ice across the country.
The RAC says it sees a sharp increase in the volume of breakdowns when the weather turns cold and advises taking the time to ensure you carry out the right checks on your car before driving; any underlying mechanical issues could escalate as temperatures plummet.
"We suggest you remember and use the acronym FORCES for the regular ‘DIY checks’ you should carry out through the winter and especially as we head into another icy blast," says the RAC on its website. "That's Fuel, Oil, Rubber, Coolant, Electrics, Screen wash."
British Airways has cancelled a dozen short-haul flights to and from Heathrow ahead of the expected severe weather.
They are BA flights on Tuesday evening to and from Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Munich and Zurich. One flight from Manchester to Heathrow has also been cancelled.
A departure to Singapore due out early on Monday evening is currently running 21 hours late. The Independent has asked British Airways for the reason.
Southeastern Railway, which runs services in south-east London, Kent and East Sussex, has warned: “We may need to run our Winter Weather Timetable from Thursday as bad weather is forecast. We'll confirm this at least 24 hours in advance.”
The timetable is basically a Saturday service with additional peak services, reports The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder. It is deployed on days when ice and light snow freeze around the “third rail”, preventing trains from drawing power or being able to move with any speed.
“And in the worst cases, preventing them from being able to move at all,” says Southeastern.
“When this timetable is in place train times will be different, trains won’t split or attach so you may need to change trains, and peak trains will be busier. Please travel earlier or later to avoid busiest peak trains,” Southeastern urges.
The Met Office has extended weather warnings to cover Thursday and Friday as well.
Snow and ice-related disruption is expected across England and Wales for the rest of the week, on top of the initial yellow warning for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Met Office says between Thursday at 3pm and Friday at 12pm, rain and snow is expected to move in from the southwest, moving across England and Wales.
This is likely to fall as heavy rain at first across the far southwest of England, but as it meets the cold air established over the rest of the country snow becomes more likely.
There is a chance of 2-5cm of snow for some places, but timings are currently uncertain. Up to 10cm is possible in places.
Overnight on Thursday into early Friday morning, ice may also become a hazard on any untreated surfaces as temperatures fall below freezing.
The temperature is also dropping across the Pond.
Extreme cold, with wind chill of temperatures falling to -65F (-58C), is predicted for northern states of the US.
America's National Weather Service says: “A frigid Arctic air mass is expected to spread across much of the north central and northeastern US this week.”
The lowest temperatures are expected in eastern Minnesota, but even Chicago is expecting cold of -41F/C.
Many train services are running well despite the deteriorating weather, reports The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder.
ScotRail says: “Despite snowfall across Scotland, services are running well right across the country.”
Network Rail Western’s chief operating office, Tim Ball said points heating will help reduce the risk of failure and consequent delays.
BA has cancelled 14 short-haul flights and a round-trip to Chicago due to weather.
Passengers are being rebooked on other flights. Midweek in late January there should not be too much problem finding space on other flights, says Simon Calder – the issue for people from Glasgow and Manchester flying to Heathrow this evening is that they may be connecting to long-haul services to Asia, Africa or South America, so they may be stuck for 24 hours.
The airline has to provide meals and accommodation until they can get where they need to be. No cash compensation is payable.
As we reported earlier this month, Network Rail has a fleet of special de-icing trains that will be introduced in bad weather.
The winter fleet includes trains with snowploughs able to clear eight inches of snow, hot air blowers to melt ice and anti-freeze.
Find out more here:
Meanwhile across the Atlantic, more than 1,000 flights have been cancelled as severe weather hits the US.
More than 1,000 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, according to Business Insider, from major US hubs including Chicago, Boston and Atlanta.
Atlanta is one of the worst-hit cities. The Georgian state capital is due to host the much-anticipated Superbowl on Sunday afternoon.
If you're travelling to or from the US, check the status of your flight with your airline before travel.
Snow isn't the only severe weather to hit the UK this week.
Strong winds at Manchester Airport on Sunday 27 January led to a handful of aircraft abort their landings at the last minute because of windshear.
Watch the footage here:
A motorist has been caught driving a snow-covered car with just a small square of windscreen cleared.
The driver was stopped by police on the A9 at Thurso, Caithness, in the Highlands in the early hours of Tuesday as snow and sleet fell across parts of the country.
The car's rear and side windows were completely covered with snow while only a small area had been cleared on the front windscreen.
Police issued the driver with a fixed penalty notice and warned other motorists to clear snow and ice from their vehicles before setting off.
