Temperatures could drop to minus 12C overnight
Scattered weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across the country.
Temperatures could drop to minus 12C overnight, as forecasters warned that 10-15cm of snow is possible in some areas on Saturday.
The Met Office said Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland regions of Scotland were likely to see the lowest temperatures on Saturday night, with minus 12C possible in some valleys in these regions.
It has issued an amber warning for snow in Cumbria throughout Saturday, saying 10-15cm of snow is possible in some areas before showers begin to ease overnight.
The Met Office said frequent snow showers will bring further disruption to transport and infrastructure in the north west of England.
It added there is a “good chance that some rural communities could become cut off” and power cuts were likely, with the potential for other services, such as mobile phone coverage, to be affected.
Met Office chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said: “Snow could be heavy at times across Cumbria with the odd rumble of thunder… 10-15cm of snow is possible before showers begin to ease overnight.
“A low pressure system will bring less cold but more unsettled weather for southern parts of the UK from tonight onwards, although northern areas will continue (to be) cold with wintry showers and sharp overnight frosts.
“Many areas of England and Wales can then expect spells of rain for the start of next week, which could be heavy at times with a risk of flooding. Some higher hills across parts of North Wales and northern England could see further snow.”
The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice from 6pm on Saturday to 12pm on Sunday covering much of the Midlands, Yorkshire, the north east and north west of England, and North and Central Wales.
The weather service said that while not everywhere will see accumulating snow, some places are likely to see 1-3cm, with 5-10cm possible over some hills and mountains in Wales, the Peak District and South Pennines.
The forecaster said there will probably be icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, resulting in “some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces”.
It warned that some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times by road, bus and train.
In Wales, the A470 was temporarily closed between Llechwedd, Blaenau Ffestiniog, towards the Crimea Pass due to the weather conditions on Saturday afternoon as North Wales Police told drivers to avoid the area.
The Met Office extended a weather warning for snow and ice in Cumbria, northern Lancashire and the Scottish coast south of Dumfries.
The yellow weather warning is now in place throughout all of Saturday but covers a reduced area.
The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning of ice from midnight until 8am on Sunday for London, the East of England, the West Midlands and parts of South Wales.
The weather service warned that areas of rain or sleet falling on frozen surfaces may lead to icy conditions and some injuries may result from slips and falls.
It added: “Rain or sleet is expected to spread from west to east across the area overnight, falling on to frozen surfaces and leading to icy patches, perhaps even where treatment has been applied.”
Glasgow Airport temporarily suspended all flights on Saturday morning, with the transport hub posting on X, formerly Twitter, at 7.24am that it was doing so because of “heavier than forecast snow”.
At 10.20am, the airport posted: “Our runway is now fully operational again and we are working with our airline partners and their handlers to resume flight schedules.”
The mercury dropped to minus 11C in Aviemore in the Highlands overnight and the Met Office also recorded minus 10C in Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, on Saturday morning.
Temperatures are tipped to continue to fall over the weekend, with several sporting events cancelled.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said it will be minus 3C or minus 4C for many towns and cities on Saturday.
The forecaster said as winds shift to more south-westerly, temperatures should slowly rise through Saturday, feeling a little less cold in the South West.
“Elsewhere, though still feeling bitterly cold, not much above freezing,” she added.
The forecaster said the areas with the most snow on Friday were Aviemore in Inverness-shire with 5cm, Albemarle in Northumberland and Bingley in West Yorkshire with 2cm, and Loftus, Cleveland, with 1cm.
There was disruption to trains in the west of Scotland, with operator ScotRail posting: “The snow is affecting some signalling systems and staff are working as quickly as possible to rectify these just now.”
Crewe’s match with Bristol Rovers in the second round of the FA Cup on Saturday was called off and rearranged for December 12, with the playing surface deemed unsafe.
A number of Scottish league matches were also postponed, including Dundee United’s trip to Morton and the game between Ayr and Arbroath at Somerset Park.
Saturday’s high-profile racing fixture at Newcastle, which was due to stage the return of the Constitution Hill, was abandoned due to snow on the track.
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 December 5, meaning “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.
