- .Britain is braced for the coldest evening in three years tonight as temperatures are expected to plummet to -15C
- .Severe yellow weather warnings for snow and icy conditions are in place for large parts of the country today
- .Motorists have been warned that the freezing temperatures could cause rush-hour chaos for the rest of the week
- .Police in Devon and Cornwall dealt with 21 crashes in two hours this morning due to the 'treacherous' conditions
Severe yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for large parts of the country today and motorists have been urged to take care as police in Devon and Cornwall dealt with 21 crashes in two hours this morning due to the 'treacherous' conditions.
The Met Office has forecast lows of -15C in areas of Scotland tonight – meaning it will be colder than Lukla, Nepal, the 2,900m-altitude village climbers pass en route to the summit of Mount Everest.
It would also be Britain's coldest night since the -15.6C in February 2012 at Holbeach, Lincolnshire. Temperatures have only dropped as low as -9C this year in the Highland village of Cromdale.
Britain is braced for the coldest evening in three years tonight as temperatures are expected to plummet to -15C, pictured is the snow covered hills in Chatsworth, Great Longstone
Motorists have been urged to take care due to 'treacherous' conditions, pictured is an overturned van at the side of the A59 outside York
A family enjoys a walk earlier today in the snow covered hills in Chatsworth, Great Longstone, where freezing conditions are predicted tonight
Parts of Britain woke up to a blanket of snow this morning, pictured is the countryside in Exmoor, Somerset, taken by Bob Small
Wrapped up warm in a woolly hat, Amelia English plays in the snow and builds a snowman in Weardale, County Durham, this morning
A dog-walker enjoying the heavy snow at the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales (pictured) this morning
A horse rolling around and playing in the snow in Foolow, Derbyshire, earlier this morning as further snow is forecast
Freezing and foggy conditions have caused delays at Manchester Airport and at least two flights have been diverted elsewhere.
Met Office forecaster Krista Mitchell said: 'There are some very cold conditions forecast for tonight and the rest of the week. This is because of cold air coming from the Arctic.
'We could see the coldest night in three years tonight. Motorist should check conditions because travelling because of the icy conditions.'
The severe weather warning for ice continues into Monday for Northern Ireland and snow is expected on Tuesday in northern parts of the country.
At least three accidents around 9am today involving several vehicles left the A390 between Liskeard and Callington in Cornwall looking 'like a battle zone', according to one traffic cop.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said: 'Road conditions are pretty poor so drivers should take great care. Fortunately there have been no serious injuries but people are driving too fast for the icy conditions. The roads are treacherous.
'If you don't need to take the journey try to delay it until later on in the day. If you have to drive please drive to the conditions of the road and drive sensibly, even if that means lowering your speed. Take into consideration other road users.
'We're really concerned about Monday morning,' he said.
The RAC is braced for a 50 per cent increase in breakdowns in freeze-hit regions and motorists have been urged to pack an emergency kit.
Simon Williams, a spokesman for the RAC, said: 'Cold weather creates a giant spike in drivers running into problems.
An amber Government Level 3 cold weather health warning - one step below a maximum level 4 red warning - is in place, pictured is snow covered hills in Chatsworth
Lilly-Mae, 11, used pebbles, a polystyrene pizza base, a carrot and some twigs to re-create Olaf the snowman from Disney hit Frozen
Snow and sub-zero temperatures swept across Wales last night leaving a thick covering at Brecon Beacons National Park this morning
Britain is braced for the coldest evening in three years tonight as temperatures are expected to plummet to -15C with a week of snow flurries predicted, pictured is Gateshead
Severe yellow weather warnings for snow and icy conditions are in place for large parts of the country today, pictured is Exmoor in Somerset
Temperatures have only dropped as low as -9C this year in the Highland village of Cromdale, pictured in Chatsworth, Great Longstone
Sheep on the snow-covered hills in Chatsworth, Great Longstone, where freezing temperatures are expected to continue next week
Motorists have been urged to take care on the roads and bring an emergency kit with them in case they are stranded in the snow, pictured is a road in Chatsworth, Great Longstone
The RAC is braced for a 50 per cent increase in breakdowns in snow-covered regions and motorists have been urged to pack an emergency kit
A layer of snow covered Newcastle Quayside this morning following flurries across northern England, with a week of freezing conditions predicted
The severe weather warning for ice continues into Monday for Northern Ireland, pictured is a blanket of snow in Exmoor, Somerset
Snow covered rooftops across Gateshead, Tyne and Wear (pictured) this morning following deep snowfalls across northern England
'Motorists should plan journeys and pack an emergency pack containing food, a hot drink, torch, warm clothes, blankets, first aid kit and fully-charged mobile phone.'
Daytime temperatures are expected to be as low as -8C in the Highlands today and -2C in England's North, with under 3C for most other parts of the UK.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: 'Sunday night will be the coldest night of winter so far, probably the coldest since January 2013 and potentially the coldest since February 2012.
'With light winds forecast, areas with snow lying could see -10C on the Pennines and -14C a possibility in Scotland locally in sheltered areas.
'Early in Monday morning's rush-hour looks the coldest time, with the whole of the UK below freezing.
'There are likely to be more warnings ahead and potentially snow and travel disruption .
This morning a yellow weather warning (left) for ice was in place and pictured (right) is the predicted temperatures for tonight
Warm light from rural homes seen across the snow covered fields around the village of Nenthead, Cumbria, last night
Cold air coming from the Arctic means that Britain could seen the coldest temperatures in three years, pictured Nenthead last night
Almost a million elderly people are at said to be at risk from the bitter cold as they cannot afford to heat their homes, Age UK warned, pictured is Nenthead, Cumbria
'Monday night looks cold again and it will certainly be cold until Wednesday or Thursday, with no major changes to the weekend and remaining cold, although probably not quite as cold as earlier in the week.'
Some areas have already experienced freezing conditions with the temperature dropping to -7.1C in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands last night.
An amber Government Level 3 cold weather health warning - one step below a maximum level 4 red warning - is in place in the Midlands and North until noon on Tuesday and hospitals have been warned to expect increased demand.
Public Health England has urged people to look after elderly friends, relatives and neighbours as Age UK warned that one older person could die every seven minutes from the cold this winter.
Age UK's charity director Caroline Abrahams said: 'The cold weather can be particularly dangerous for older people who are more at risk of suffering health problems when the temperature drops,' she said.
'It's a shocking fact that this winter one older person could die every seven minutes from the cold.
'With just under one million older people living in fuel poverty, many simply cannot afford to heat their homes to a temperature high enough to keep warm and well.
'We are calling for the Government to commit to improving the energy efficiency of homes across the country in order to provide a long-lasting solution to the scandal of fuel poverty and preventable winter deaths.'
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