UK weather: Icy blast to hit several regions tonight with temperatures plummeting to as low as -12C

Temperatures could drop to as low as minus 12C tonight (Saturday 2 December), the Met Office has said. It comes after Glasgow Airport had to temporarily suspend all flights this morning due to “heavier than forecast snow”. 

The airport posted on X, formerly Twitter, at 7.24am that it was suspending its operations due to the weather. 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.”

Tonight Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland regions of Scotland are likely to see the lowest temperatures with -12C possible in some valleys in these regions, the forecaster said. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have also been issued from 6pm on Saturday to 12pm on Sunday (3 December) 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 will likely 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 also warned that some roads and railways are likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train.

North Wales Police said on Saturday afternoon that the A470 was closed between Llechwedd, Blaenau Ffestiniog, towards the Crimea Pass due to the weather conditions and told drivers to avoid the area. The Met Office has also 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 also 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. 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.

It 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.

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. Crewe’s match with Bristol Rovers in the second round of the FA Cup on Saturday has been called off and rearranged for 12 December, with the playing surface deemed unsafe. 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 5 December meaning “cold weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.