Closing summary
Hundreds of schools have been shut as warnings for snow and ice remain in place across Scotland, parts of northern England, Wales and south west England.
The weather has heavily disrupted travel across the UK, forcing the cancellation of trains and flights.
Eurostar advised passengers travelling between London and the Netherlands to postpone their journey as services were unable to operate beyond Brussels due to the weather in the Netherlands.
Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands saw 34cm of snow, while Dyce in Aberdeenshire and Altnaharra, Sutherland, recorded 27cm, the Met Office said.
The UK Health Security Agency issued amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures were likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Friday.
The lowest temperatures recorded overnight were minus 10.9C in Shap, Cumbria, minus 10.3C in Sennybridge, Powys, and minus 9.9C in Bala, Gwynedd, the Met Office said.
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Updated
Gas supplies to about 4,600 properties in south Devon have been affected over the last few days after damage to a mains pipe.
Kingsbridge community college has closed, with lessons taking place online and the South Hams minor injury unit also shut.
The outage was not caused by the weather – Wales and West Utilities said the damage was caused by a “third party” – but it is leaving many people in the area feeling the cold.
The company said it had been working with vulnerable people to supply them with alternative cooking and heating facilities.
On Monday morning Wales and West said there were a “high number” of properties in Kingsbridge and Salcombe it had not been able to access yet.
The Guardian has asked how many properties are still without power.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of ice for Northern Ireland from 17:00 today to 10:00 tomorrow. The affected areas are County Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone.
This warning for Northern Ireland is in addition to the snow and ice warnings currently in place for Scotland, sections of northern England, south west England and Wales.
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Eurostar trains not going to Amsterdam, some Paris services cancelled
The frigid winds from the North Sea has led to a spell of icy temperatures in the Netherlands too – prompting Eurostar to suspend its services there.
The high-speed rail company has advised passengers travelling between London and the Netherlands today to give up their plans – as the trains aren’t going beyond Brussels due to the cold.
Due to expected adverse weather conditions, the traffic is suspended in the Netherlands today. We strongly advise all our passengers to postpone their journey to a different date.
Please don’t come to the station if your train is shown as cancelled. We regret that trains that can run will be subject to severe delays and possible last-minute cancellations.
Some trains to Paris have also been cancelled due to bad weather on the French network- including the 3.31pm and 8.01pm London-Paris trains.
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Scotland snowfall 'increasingly confined to far north'
The latest Met update on Scotland says that the heavy snow showers, which were driven by northerly winds throughout Sunday and Monday, will be “increasingly confined to the far north” by this afternoon.
But an ice risk will linger across many areas well into evening. These regions will then have to brace for “a spell of more organised snow” – as the Met terms it- which will arrive in western areas later tonight.
The current yellow warnings apply to:
Central, Tayside & Fife: Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross, Stirling
Grampian: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray
Highlands and Eilean Siar: Na h-Eileanan Siar, Highland
Orkney & Shetland islands
Strathclyde: Argylle and Bute, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire
Updated
Met Office update: Snow easing but ice will be more widespread hazard
Here’s the midday update from the Met Office, which has removed some yellow weather warnings for the UK’s interior.
The alerts still apply to all of Scotland north of Glasgow, east England from Ipswich up to the Scottish border, and parts of Wales and the south-east.
For the east:
Snowfall is easing Monday night but an ice risk continues to Tuesday morning with the warning window in fact extended.
Scattered snow showers will move inland from the North Sea during Monday, giving some accumulations in places
Snow showers are likely to be most frequent across southeast Scotland, parts of North and East Yorkshire and Redcar and Cleveland
Lightning and gusty winds could be additional hazards
For Wales and west England:
Scattered sleet and snow showers will continue to feed southwards through Monday afternoon and evening, particularly near western coasts but occasionally spreading farther inland.
Showers will ease through Monday night, but ice will be a more widespread hazard overnight and into Tuesday morning as temperatures fall below freezing
Updated
Police in north Wales have been helping motorists stranded on the A487, which runs through Eryri - the Snowdonia national park.
A North Wales Police statement said: “Driving conditions remain poor - particularly across parts of Gwynedd and Anglesey due to the icy conditions and with some areas having seen further snow fall overnight.
“We are currently dealing with several stranded motorists in areas such as the A487 south of Caernarfon heading towards Garndolbenmaen.”
Compensation for delays and cancellations for affected flyers
Following on from the last post linking National Rail’s compensation page, consumer rights groups are reminding air travellers that they are owed entitlements for disruptions.
If flying with a UK or EU airline, or due to depart from a UK or EU airport with any carrier, you are entitled to:
Food and drink during delays of more than two hours for short-haul flights, three hours for medium-haul and four hours for long-haul
Accommodation if you are stuck overnight
If your flight is cancelled, you have the choice of being rerouted on the next available flight or getting a refund. If you want to be put on the next available flight, your airline must get you to your destination as soon as possible, “including with a rival carrier if necessary”, says Rory Boland, editor of Which? consumer magazine.
He says: “Flight delays or cancellations due to snow can be extremely frustrating, but airlines still have a duty of care to passengers, and must provide clear information about their rights to assistance or a refund.”
There have been flight cancellations and delays at Aberdeen and Inverness airports, as well as Belfast’s city and international airports and Liverpool’s John Lennon.
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The full list of train disruptions and timetable changes can be viewed on the National Rail site here.
Timeframes for the delays are being amended all the time – and on some routes, bus alternatives are also being offered, so it’s worth checking back in regularly.
Here’s also the information on how you can claim compensation if your trip’s been cancelled or delayed.
Updated
Health warnings issued too for vulnerable and elderly in England
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued its own cold health alerts for vulnerable populations across England, until Tuesday.
The severe conditions could lead to a rise in deaths, among those aged 65 and over or with pre-existing health conditions.
“As the colder weather sets in, it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable,” said Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA.
“The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65.”
Some pictures of the freeze
Scotland train disruptions
LNER says it will not be travelling to any stations north of Edinburgh – a pause expected to last until at least 2pm today
LNER advising customers not to travel between Edinburgh and Aberdeen /Inverness. No rail replacement buses are being provided.
Disruption to journeys in northern Scotland is expected to continue until the end of Tuesday, 6 January says National Rail
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What are yellow warnings?
They’re used by the Met Office to flag that there will likely be some low-level impact from the weather, such as some travel disruption. The one this morning read:
Scattered snow showers and icy patches have the potential to cause disruption to travel in places on Monday into Tuesday morning.”
The Met Office tells people to expect:
Longer journey times by road, bus and train services due to affected roads and railways
Icy roads and surfaces could lead to slips and falls and resulting injuries
Icy patches on untreated roads, cycle paths, pavements
The warnings for snow and ice apply to most of the UK at the moment, including Northern Ireland, Wales, much of Scotland north of Glasgow, south-west England, north-west England, the Midlands, east England and the north-east of England.
Updated
Situation in Wales
Dozens of schools have been closed across Wales and there have been difficult driving conditions and disruptions to train services in parts of the country.
Some schools have been shut in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend county, Caerphilly, Pembrokeshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, was closed until 1pm on Monday due to heavy snow.
Transport for Wales and Traffic Wales warned there could be delays because of the severe weather and there were speed restrictions on a section of the M4 in south Wales because of snow.
Cornwall council said its gritters were out and about but asked people to take extra care and allow more time for journeys.
Updated
More than 180 schools closed in Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland 186 schools closed, affecting thousands of pupils, and there was widespread travel disruption. The government website NI Direct provided a list of the schools.
Ice, snow and weather warnings made it too risky to open on Monday, said Philip McCullagh, the principal of St Patrick and St Brigid’s College in Claudy, County Derry.
“It is very, very bad,” he told BBC Radio Ulster. “It will take a long time for us to clear our site but also the footpaths as well. It’s as bad as I’ve seen it.”
Belfast City and Belfast International airports cancelled several flights.
Translink, which runs transport services in Northern Ireland, warned of delays to bus routes, with some services operating on main roads only.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland urged motorists to take extra care. “Clear your windscreen of ice and snow before you set off on your journey, and remember to slow down and increase the distance between you and the vehicle ahead.”
Updated
Scotland has endured most of the heavy snowfall
Northern Scotland has borne the brunt of the severe temperatures overnight with heavy snowfall prompting amber warnings for the Highlands and Aberdeenshire areas, Orkney, Shetland, and Outer Hebridean Islands.
Amber warnings come into play when authorities want to flag the increased likelihood of impact from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.
Already, schools in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Aberdeenshire and many in Moray were closed today.
ScotRail has warned of disruptions around its Aberdeen and Inverness routes. Network Rail Scotland said the Aberdeen-Dundee, Aberdeen-Inverness, Inverness-Wick/Thurso and Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh services were unlikely to run until midday.
Aberdeen airport has recorded several cancelled Loganair and British Airways flights this morning, although flights later in the day are still scheduled to go out.
The Met Office warned of temporary blizzard conditions given the strong winds. They forecast another 5-10cm of snowfall and up to 20-30cm on higher ground.
Updated
The cold weather has also led to disruption at airports, with delays and cancellations due to safety concerns.
Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness after heavy snowfall, while Liverpool John Lennon airport said at 8am its runway was closed due to wintry conditions and some flights were subject to delays and cancelations.
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Schools shut and flights cancelled
Good morning and welcome to our coverage of UK weather conditions with hundreds of schools shut and flights cancelled due to snow.
Amber weather warnings were in place until 10am today for snow in parts of Scotland with as much as 30cm expected in some places, while yellow warnings for snow and ice cover much of the UK.
