Met Office: Yellow weather warnings in place into weekend as frost, ice and snow blanket UK

Winter has arrived in its typical bitter fashion as ice warnings remain in place for large parts of the UK today. People are warned they could suffer from serious injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces, while motorists may face treacherous conditions and public transport services are likely to experience delays. Yellow weather warnings has been issued as snow and ice blanket large parts of the country with east and north-west of England and Scotland worst hit from 5pm tonight until 10am on Saturday morning. The alert covering the eastern coast of England stretches from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Kent. The new alerts have been issued after three previous yellow weather warnings were in place until 11am this morning.

Over 30 schools in Cornwall have closed for the day, or opened late due to hazardous conditions. In County Durham, police said snowy conditions led to some crashes on the roads. Frost blanketed large parts of the UK after overnight temperatures dropping as low as -6C in south-west England, -8C in Wales and -10C in parts of Scotland, the Met Office said.

“Where the showers fall as rain, there is a risk of icy patches forming overnight with temperatures widely dipping below freezing. A number of National Severe Weather Warnings have been issued and these are likely to be updated over the coming days.” Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said.

The UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office have issued amber cold health alerts in five regions until December 5, meaning that “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.

The regions included are the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber.

According to the Met Office, the UK is likely to remain in a northeasterly airflow for several days to come, meaning it will stay cold well into next week. National Highways is urging motorists to plan their journeys, keep an eye on the weather forecast, and take extra care on the roads.

National Highways National Network manager Dale Hipkiss said: "Freezing conditions bring so many hazards such as snow and ice. Please take every possible step to understand your journey in advance and allow extra time when travelling. Keeping a kit of essential items like a torch and warm clothes in your vehicle can be vital."