Thanks for following our live coverage of the snowy and icy weather across the UK.

You can read more on travel disruption here, and on the deaths of the three children who fell into an icy lake near Solihull here.

To learn more about what's causing the cold snap and how long it might last, you can take a look at our explainer.

Today's writers were Adam Durbin, Emily McGarvey, Thomas Mackintosh, Malu Cursino, Christy Cooney, Craig Hutchison, Alys Davies, Krystyna Gajda, Jack Burgess.

The page was edited by Chris Giles, Andrew Humphrey, Alexandra Fouche, George Bowden and Heather Sharp.

Image source, PA Media

We're bringing our live coverage to a close soon - but before we go here's a recap of today's main developments:

• The Met Office says today has provisionally been the coldest day in the UK since December 2010
• The coldest recorded place was at Braemar in Aberdeenshire, where temperatures didn't go above -9.3C (15F) at any point.
• Northern Scotland and north-east England have been issued yellow weather warnings from midnight tonight until Thursday afternoon

• Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling into an icy lake near Solihull on Sunday. A fourth boy, aged six years old, remains in a critical condition in hospital
• Fire and rescue services across the UK have doubled down on warnings over icy and frozen water, urging people to stay away from frozen lakes
• Local councils have urged people to check in on vulnerable members of their communities, as temperatures plummet and the cost of living crisis continues to bite
• The RAC says more than 9,000 breakdowns in snow were reported on Monday alone
• Railways across much of England and Scotland have faced weather-related disruption, with Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern warning that services could also be affected by preparations for the 48-hour strike action set to take place tomorrow and Wednesday
• Members of the RMT union working at Network Rail have voted to reject the latest offer, which the company had described as its "best and final"

Scotland is on course for its coldest December in over a decade after the UK's lowest maximum temperature for 12 years was recorded in Aberdeenshire.

The Met Office confirmed the highest temperature recorded in Braemar was -9.3C after overnight temperatures plummeted to -15.7C.

BBC Weather's Simon King said it was the coldest night since February 2021.

A yellow warning for ice and snow currently covers northern Scotland with the cold spell set to last for 10 days.

A further yellow warning has been issued for the same area from midnight on Tuesday until 12:00 on Thursday.

Read more here.

Temperatures are expected to remain low for several days, with overnight lows below freezing in many towns and city centres across the UK.

Although temperatures for many will be back above freezing during the day, forecasters warn the northerly wind means it could feel much colder.

Now, there are not as many indications that this cold spell will remain in place until Christmas and temperatures are expected to return to average in the week leading up to Christmas Day, BBC Weather's Nikki Berry says.

Traditionally the Met Office defined a white Christmas as one snowflake being observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December at the Met Office building in London - but this has now been expanded to include locations across the UK including sites in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.

Here are the latest bookmaker odds on whether there could be a white Christmas in parts of the country.

Image source, .

As is so often the case with these rare snowy days, the pictures coming in from around the country of the day's wintery conditions have been impressive.

Image source, Victoria Jones/PA Wire

Image source, REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge

Image source, Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Image source, James Manning/PA Wire

It has been very slippery out there in the last 24 hours.

Video footage from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire shows the moment cars pile up in the ice and snow.

A bus also crashed after its driver struggled in the hazardous weather conditions.

Image source, Getty Images

Like humans, animals can be at risk of hypothermia if they become too cold, and may spend less time outside.

Veterinary charity PDSA, external advises giving dogs and cats extra blankets for their beds over the winter months.

Raised beds can keep older dogs away from draughts, while cats may like high-up dens.

The charity also recommends extra playtime for pets to make sure they keep active. New indoor toys can help. Providing cats with indoor litter trays also means less need to go outside. You should consider keeping them inside overnight.

You should check your pet's paws if they have been in snow and ice, as cold temperatures, grit and salt can make pads very sore, the PDSA says.

The RSPCA, external advises buying a winter coat or jumper for sick or elderly dogs, or those with thinner hair.

If you have to walk in the dark, make sure you and your dog can be seen with hi-vis leads, coats, and LED collars.

A sudden drop in temperature can also have a big impact on outside pets, such as rabbits and guinea pigs. They should be given extra bedding for warmth, but the PDSA recommends moving them to a more sheltered space or bringing them inside.

But you should make sure they have enough indoor space to exercise safely.

Image source, Chris Booth

Temperatures plummeted to -15.7C overnight at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on the coldest night of the year. It's also provisionally been the coldest UK day there since December 2010, as temperatures didn't go above -9.3C (15F) at any point.

Fergus Mutch lives in the village and has been telling BBC Radio Scotland there's been a pretty hard frost, it looks beautiful, but it's chilly outside.

He says -15C temperatures are fairly typical for Braemar, which holds the record for the lowest temperure recorded in the UK (-27C) and has been dubbed the UK's coldest village.

"It's something the local community are braced for every winter.

"People prepare for it, people are used to it in the village... [they] all get out their snow shovels and lend a hand to clear the pavements."

The local pub provides warm drinks and heat for free at this time of year.

Mutch adds: "Everyone mucks in... with people looking out for their friends and neighbours."

The freezing weather poses particular problems for the elderly.

Age Scotland health and wellbeing manager Doug Anthoney tells BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime: "I think the first thing is don't hesitate to heat your home.

"We're hearing on the Age Scotland helpline that a lot of older people who are calling us are reluctant to put the heat on or have hot meals.

"It's really important that they don't hesitate to do that because cold and damp homes can lead to increased respiratory illness, can increase your blood pressure and there's more risk of stroke and heart disease.

"So put on the heat and get advice," he says.

Anthoney is also calling on people to call in and see their elderly neighbours and encourage them to keep moving if possible.

If you don’t need to leave home, then don’t travel in the wintry conditions – that’s the message from the police in Essex.

They've issued some advice for drivers to make their journey safer, external, if they do need to travel by road.

It includes:

• Keep your distance - slippery roads mean you need more time to brake
• Give yourself more time to travel, and drive more slowly
• Drive a roadworthy car and fill up with petrol

Image source, PA Media

So far today, more than 9,000 drivers have called the RAC for assistance after breaking down, according to the company.

"By the end of the day we expect to have handled in the region of eight breakdowns every minute - 50% more than we’d expect on a typical Monday in December," Rod Dennis from the RAC says.

The vehicle recovery and insurance specialists warned people to only drive if conditions allow and they feel confident doing so, adding that drivers must be prepared for extremely slippery conditions.

Dennis advised those who do venture out to stick to main routes where possible, as these are more likely to be well gritted.

Other pieces of driving advice for wintry conditions from the breakdown specialists include:

• Carry a blanket and a fully-charged mobile phone
• Reduce speed and leave extra space behind the vehicle in front
• Drive in as high a gear as possible to minimise the chances of wheels spinning
• Brake gently to avoid skidding
• Make sure all all tyres have plenty of tread to improve grip on slippery roads
• Have enough good-quality screenwash that works down to well below 0C so windscreens can always be kept clear

Drone footage shot over London's Hammersmith Bridge and Tonbridge in Kent shows a bird's eye view of a blanket of snow over south east England.

There was also heavy snow in Scotland and south-east and eastern England, with weather related delays hitting road, rail and air travel.

The Met Office has issued fresh snow and ice warnings covering large parts of the UK for Tuesday morning.

Find out the weather forecast for your area, with an hourly breakdown and a 14-day lookahead, by downloading the BBC Weather app: Apple , external- Android, external - Amazon, external

The BBC Weather app is only available to download in the UK.

After what may have been the UK's coldest day, some are bracing themselves for what could be the coldest night.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon says northern Scotland could record even colder temperatures overnight tonight after also breaking the record for the coldest night of the year on Monday.

"We saw minus 15C last night. We could see similar or potentially even colder tonight under clear skies with that snowfall lying in some places," he says.

But he adds, it'll be "broadly very cold across the whole of the UK, with widespread freezing conditions."

Here's the latest temperatures this evening according to BBC Weather.

The Met Office is saying it's provisionally been the coldest day in the UK since December 2010.

The coldest recorded place in the UK was at Braemar in Aberdeenshire, where temperatures didn't go above -9.3C (15F) at any point.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, members of the UK's largest rail union have rejected a pay offer from Network Rail, which means strike action will go ahead as planned tomorrow.

Network Rail, which owns and maintains the railways, offered workers a 5% pay rise this year and a 4% rise in 2023.

But RMT union boss Mick Lynch described the deal as "substandard", as 63.6% of members rejected the deal.

In response to the rejected offer, Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail said the walkouts would cause "further misery" for the rail industry for their members who will lose pay.

"The RMT are the outliers here, they need to stop playing politics and work with us to bring this dispute to an end," he said.

“There is clearly a significant number of Network Rail colleagues who want this deal, but are caught up by these needless strikes and collective bargaining."

On the roads, National Highways, external, which maintains motorways and major A roads in England, said there are delays of up to two hours between junctions 18 and 19 of the M6 northbound following a collision, though it didn't say if the incident was weather-related.

Traffic Scotland, external, the equivalent body for Scotland, reports ice continuing to affect driving conditions in the regions of Strathclyde,Lothian and Borders,Central, Tayside & Fife, and theSouthwest.

On the rail network, external, disruption to Southern and Thameslink trains is still expected to last until the end of the day. Customers are advised to only travel if "absolutely necessary" and to factor in delays.

The Gatwick Express, which earlier was suspended altogether, is now running but with a reduced service.

Great Northern has also now said it is having to cancel services because of the weather and that the disruption is likely to last until the end of the day.

All four operators have warned that services could also be affected by preparations for the 48-hour strike action set to take place tomorrow and Wednesday.

Southeastern has said its network continues to be impacted by the weather, though has said services will not be affected by strike action until Tuesday morning.

On the London underground, external, as of 17.30, severe delays continue on the Central, Jubilee, and Piccadilly lines, as well as parts of the District line, while there are minor delays on the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Northern, and Victoria lines.

The Overground is also suffering minor delays and is suspended between Watford Junction and Willesden Junction.

Image source, Bear Scotland

Scotland’s gritters are out in force keeping traffic moving in the freezing weather - they’ve also gone viral on TikTok, external due to their fun names.

From Ready Spready Go to Gritty Gritty Bang Bang and Hansel and Grit-all it's hoped the pun names bring a smile on these chilly days.

Others are named after celebrities and pop groups, including Sled Zeppelin, Spread Sheeran and Gritney Spears.

You can track your favourite gritter with Traffic Scotland here, external.

Image source, Traffic Scotland

Around 2,500 properties in Shetland are without power this evening after a heavy snowfall caused damage to overhead cables.

SSE say engineers are restoring supplies and aim to have everyone back on by 9 o'clock tonight.

Scotland is on course to record its coldest December in over a decade after temperatures plummeted to -15.7C overnight in Aberdeenshire.

Read more here.

News of the tragic death of three young boys in Solihull has shocked the nation and led many local authorities across the UK to issue warnings, urging people to stay away from frozen water.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is the latest to urge its local community to "stay safe" and "stay off the ice".

In a statement on their Facebook page, the fire service says although it might be tempting to walk or play on frozen water, recent events are a reminder of how easily ice can break.

It urges all to stay away, as the water temperature can lead to cold water shock, "an involuntary response which seriously affects your movement and breathing".

Hypothermia is another health concern the force raises, adding that "this can happen to even the strongest swimmers".