Most of Britain is on alert for ice and snow, with “very significant snowfall” expected this week as temperatures plunge to at least minus 10C in parts of the country, the Met Office has warned.
A weather system forecast to arrive on Thursday could break this winter’s current record low of -10.8C and bring up to 10cm of snow to parts of southern England.
Yellow weather warnings issued for snow and ice cover the majority of the UK on Wednesday – with only a narrow sliver of the country north east of Carlisle not affected.
Journeys on slushy roads are set to take “a lot longer” than usual.
You can follow dedicated travel disruption coverage here.
Hello and welcome to The Independent's coverage of the day's freezing winter weather.
After more snow fell on higher ground overnight, temperatures are expected to plunge to at least minus 10 degrees Celsius in parts of the country, the Met Office has warned.
This would surpass the record low for this winter and bring up to 10cm of snow to parts of southern England.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice cover the majority of the UK on Wednesday - with only a narrow sliver of the country north east of Carlisle not affected.
Journeys on the roads could take "a lot" longer and should be avoided if possible, says Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill.
The warning in Scotland, Northern Ireland and most of the UK runs until 11am on Wednesday, while the South East, London and East Anglia are covered until 12pm.
Further warnings have been issued for Thursday when a new weather front comes in which could bring in more wintry weather.
"Looking further ahead, it's what happens on Thursday that has the potential to be more disruptive," Mr Burkill said.
"It does have the potential to bring some very significant snow. We have already got a warning out in force for it. 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."
You can follow dedicated coverage of any developing travel disruption below.
Snow and freezing weather cause travel chaos across UK
Yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place across much of the countryThe scene near Stockport this morning, where thick snow is blanketing whole neighbourhoods.
Here's the view from the Met Office.
Perhaps the most dramatic news of the morning is Manchester and Liverpool airports being forced to close runways as a result of the Arctic blast. Stephen Jones's picture below tells a story.
Speaking of Liverpool, while the plows are out in force at John Lennon Airport, here's the Fab Four themselves snowed under in the city centre.
Today actually marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles playing on the roof of Apple Corps' headquarters on Savile Row in London. Too cold for that now.
Highways England with a warning for drivers in the North West.
Below is a round-up of confirmed school closures in the North West so far this morning as a result of the snow.
No doubt the pupils are inconsolable.
Liverpool
Abbot's Lea School, Liverpool
Woolton High School, Liverpool
Clifford Holroyde Specialist SEN College, Liverpool
Gilbrook School, Birkenhead
Lathom High School, Skelmersdale
St Bedes High School, Ormskirk
Orrets Meadow, Wirral
Greater Manchester
Falinge Park High School in Rochdale
Bramhall High School in Stockport
Crompton House School in Oldham
Elsewhere, the following institutions are shut for the day.
Devon
Devon
Ilsington Church of England Primary
Widecombe-in-the-Moor Primary
Northern Ireland
Killen Primary School
Ballycastle High School
Cross and Passion College
Gaelscoil an Chaistil
St Patrick's and St Brigid's Primary School
Northern Ireland
Killen Primary School
Ballycastle High School
Cross and Passion College
Gaelscoil an Chaistil
St Patrick's and St Brigid's Primary School
A timely reminder to drive carefully from local police in South Wales.
Fortunately no one was hurt when this car flipped on the ice late last night, skidding to a halt on the frozen curb.
While much of the country saw heavy snow overnight, other areas received only a light dusting of frost, prompting some deliciously droll satire from the great British public, superbly sending up the London media's obsession with "snowmageddon" hysteria.
We wouldn't know anything about that here. Ahem...
A little more on the record low temperatures forecast.
The year's current coldest temperature for 2019 stands at -10.8C, recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on 18 January. It is likely to be beaten overnight, probably in the north of Scotland, but parts of England could also see negative double figures, according to the Met Office's Alex Burkill.
Benton in Oxfordshire and Santon Downham, Suffolk, are among the parts of England that could be coldest and temperatures across southern areas are forecast to dip to around -8C.
But have no fear. Councils are prepared for the heavy snowfall, with more than 1.4 million tonnes of salt stockpiled to tackle slippery roads, according to the Local Government Association.
The Met Office has issued an updated yellow weather warning for snow and ice on Thursday and Friday.
The forecaster is now warning of more snow and ice between 1pm on Thursday and 9pm on Friday across much of England and Wales.
Rail, road and air travel could be disrupted by the wintry weather, the Met Office said.
Here's The Independent's Toyin Owoseje with a full report on today's weather.
It's about to get ridiculously cold
Icy temperatures and disruptive snow expected to last for a monthAnd here's The Indy's Chris Riotta reporting on the polar vortex currently blasting the US, which rather puts our own problems in perspective.
Millions of Americans at risk of hypothermia 'in a matter of minutes' with record low temperatures
The polar vortex striking the United States is attributed to a sudden warming far above the North PoleTwitter really is outdoing itself this morning.
The snow was so heavy in the Shetland Isles yesterday that it saw the complete collapse of civilised society, the townsfolk of Lerwick apparently reverting to Games of Thrones-style barbarism as soon as the first flakes fell.
Or it might just have been the annual Up Helly Aa Viking Festival carrying on as usual. Hard to say.
The scene at the approach to Hunt's Cross station in Liverpool this morning.
Here's the latest on school closures in the worst-hit parts of the country:
Snowfall and freezing temperatures have forced the closure of many schools across the country.
Thousands of children were granted a snow day after the wintry conditions set in on Tuesday night.
Many schools and headteachers took to social media to announce the closures, with some instructing pupils on how to access their homework.
However, other tweets also told the youngsters to enjoy the weather.
Schools across Greater Manchester closed, as well as some in Liverpool, Sefton and St Helens.
Other areas with closures included Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, and the Highlands.
Many local councils tweeted links to their websites outlining the schools that were not open.
Parents and carers wanting to check whether their child's school was open were also able to do so through the Department for Education's website.
Upon entering their postcode they are directed to the council website, detailing all the closures.
Salford City Council, where at least 13 schools closed, listed their names alongside the reasons for them being shut.
These include "staff unable to get to school safely" and "pupil safety and staff unable to get into school".
Additional reporting by PA
Arrivals are reportedly now landing at Manchester and Liverpool airports following this morning's closures.
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
