Britain is bracing for the coldest night of the year as the Met Office has issued weather warnings for snow and ice across the UK, with more areas on alert.
The lowest temperature recorded so far this year is -10.4C in Scotland. However, the mercury could drop to -15C in some sheltered Scottish glens.
The Met Office has already issued a yellow warning for snow and ice, with more areas in the Midlands, much of Wales and the southeast, including London, under alert for snow on Tuesday morning as Arctic air sweeps across the country.
The area covered by the yellow warning is set to extend as far south as Hull before it lifts at 10am on Wednesday.
A similar warning covering much of Northern Ireland is also in place overnight.
Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge said colder overnight conditions are set to hit cities this week, with the mercury plunging to -4C in London and -6C in Birmingham and Belfast.
“Temperatures will be much, much colder than we would expect at this time of year,” he said.
“The pattern will set in for some time. We have got this feed of cold air coming in from a much higher latitude.”
“We expect these conditions to remain in place until at least next weekend and possibly longer because sometimes these conditions can be quite stubborn and not easily subject to change.”
Snow began falling in Northern Scotland on Monday afternoon, and more than 20cm of it could accumulate over high ground in Scotland, while more than 5cm is likely to accumulate at lower levels in the northeast of the UK.
Over the week, more snow is expected, with many areas likely to see snow at some point. However, after an extremely cold Tuesday, conditions remain slightly uncertain for Wednesday when a “battleground” is expected to be set up as milder Atlantic air from the south meets colder Arctic air from the north.
But overall, there is fear that while the cold air sweeps the country, temperatures could drop almost six degrees below their coldest last March, when they reached -9.1C in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.
The all-time low for the UK for March occurred in 1958, when the mercury dropped to -22.8C at Logie Coldstone, Aberdeenshire.
The Met Office warned travel disruption was likely, and journey times by car, train and bus may take longer than usual. People are at risk of slipping and falling on icy patches of untreated roads, pavements and paths, while some rural communities could become cut off from the power grid and phone services.
Dale Hipkiss, National Network Manager at National Highways, advised people to keep warm clothes and a torch in their car in case they get stuck in icy conditions.
“Freezing conditions bring so many hazards such as snow and ice. Take every possible step to understand your journey in advance and allow lots of extra time when travelling to prepare for the unexpected,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has issued a level-three cold weather alert for the whole of England, which is likely to be reviewed in the coming days.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, the agency’s Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection, said people should check on vulnerable relatives and told pensioners and anyone with an underlying health condition to heat their home to at least 18C.
