Brits face more icy weather bringing snow, hail and thunder with -5C temperatures making it colder than Oslo today.
The weather continues to be well below the average for the time of year with low temperatures and strong winds making it feel bitterly cold on Thursday.
Wales bore the brunt of the gales with the highest speed of 67mph recorded in Capel Curig and 63mph in Aberdaron.
Speeds also reached 58mph in Andrewsfield, Essex, and 56mph in both Weybourne, Norfolk, and Little Rissington, Gloucestershire.
More snow is expected for the north of the UK today while the Met Office has a yellow warning for ice that runs until 9am in Scotland.
The Met Office states: “Wintry showers overnight and early Friday may lead to some difficult driving conditions and travel disruption.”
People have been told: “Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
“Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.”
With temperatures of -5C in Scotland it means that it is set to be colder on Friday than in the Norwegian capital Oslo where it is not expected to dip below freezing.
BBC forecaster Chris Fawkes said: "We’ve got showers mainly affecting northern areas particularly in Scotland where some are falling as snow particularly over the high ground, bringing a risk icy stretches and a widespread frost as well.
"So it’s a cold start as we head into the first part of Friday morning."
A low pressure is moving into northern France and there is a possibility that it could also bring rain to the south coast of England but for many areas of the UK, despite the cold, there will be some sun on Friday.
Mr Fawkes continued: "A lot of us will start the day with some sunshine, cold and frosty first thing in the morning.
"There will be widespread showers and thunderstorms that then move in across Scotland and Northern Ireland through the morning and across into northern England and North Wales. The showers really widespread across these areas, they will have hail and they will have thunder mixed in.”
After some balmy 20C highs to welcome in spring it has been bitterly cold so far in April and the freeze is expected to carry on into the weekend.
A low of -5C would be significantly colder than the average minimum temperature for April which is 3.75C between 1991 and 2020.
But it is also some way short of the coldest temperature on record for the weekend of April 9 and 10 which are -10.5C in Belper, Derbyshire, in 1973 and -10.1C in Grantown-on-Spey in Morayshire, in 1978.
UK forecast for the next 5 days
Cold and showery. Turning drier this weekend.
Today:
Rain clearing from southernmost counties of England. Sunny spells for many but also a scattering of showers, these heaviest and most frequent in the north with hail, sleet, and some snow on hills. Feeling rather cold.
Tonight:
Showers becoming confined to northern and western coasts, mainly across northern Scotland where some snow will settle on high ground. Clear skies inland allowing a widespread frost to develop.
Saturday:
Many southern and western parts dry with sunny spells. Scattered showers breaking out, mainly in the north and east. Still rather cold but feeling less so in the south.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
A cold start but mostly dry with plenty of sunshine on Sunday. Milder from Sunday night but with cloud and rain moving in from the west overnight and through Monday.
