Snow and ice warnings have been issued as wintry conditions grip the UK with temperatures expected to plummet as low as -12C in some parts of the country.
A whiteout was forecast for parts of Wales, with a chance of snow in areas of Yorkshire, the north-west and Scotland, which is to face the brunt of the big freeze.
The mercury had already fallen to below -4.7c in Braemar, Scotland, as of 10pm on Thursday night, with temperatures dropping about a degree ever hour that passed.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said that, while clouds rolling in could stop more extreme plunges overnight, lows of -12C are still possible in some areas.
Mr Burkill said the chilliest place is likely to be sheltered parts of Scotland such as Braemar, which saw the coldest night of the winter so far on January 3 (-10.5C).
"Winter's here now properly. It feels like winter and the weather's resembling it,” the meteorologist said. "Generally, across much of England, it's going to be very cold and frosty.”
Shap in Cumbria could see a low of -8C (17.6F), Mr Burkill said.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow in Wales from 8am until 1pm, when 2-4cm of snow is expected. A snow and ice warning is also in place along the east coast of England until 10am on Friday morning.
