Rebecca Wearn
Reporting from the Peak District

In the last hour or so, weather conditions across the higher areas of the Peak District National Park have worsened.

The snow is already lying a good 15cm deep and it is not forecast to stop snowing until tomorrow lunchtime.

Most local schools have closed for the day, four of the most treacherous rural roads - Holme Moss, Snakes Pass, Rushup Edge and Winnats Pass - have been closed by Derbyshire County Council and eleven bus services are suspended.

Across the hills, near Derby, East Midlands Airport has shut its runway.

But, only a few miles away, in Manchester, very little snow has fallen and most transport is running as normal.

This is the difference higher ground makes.

Steven McKenzie
BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter

Image source, Raymond Besant

Rural communities across the Highlands and Islands are well-acquainted with snow-filled icy blasts this time of year.

Scottish Gaelic even has a phrase for it - sneachd beag nan uan, the small snow of the lambs, and a reference to the weather coming during the busy lambing season on crofts and farms.

For Scotland's mountain ski resorts spring snow brings a much-needed boost to business.

Cairngorm Mountain, near Aviemore, reported having 35cm of powder snow in the space of 24 hours earlier this week, and the Lecht and Glenshee ski centres have also reported fine snow sport conditions under blue skies.

Image source, PA Media

The AA is offering a word of caution to drivers in the north of England.

It says that anyone planing to take a trip in their car this afternoon should consider whether their journey is really necessary.

The words of advice follow the amber snow alert that is now in place, covering major parts of the north and key motorways and roads including those leading to Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds.

The alert will stay in place until Friday morning.

For those who still need to make essential trips, the driving body has warned that some roads will be hazardous, so extreme caution is advised.

Image source, .

As a reminder, the Met Office has issued various amber weather warnings which are due to come into place across various parts of the UK from 15:00.

Here's a quick reminder of the locations and times:

• In England the amber warning is expected to last for 21 hours from 15:00 and will cover major cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds
• The amber snow and ice warning in Northern Ireland covers Belfast and areas south of the city from 15:00 on Thursday until 4:00 on Friday
• Over in Wales, the amber snow and ice warning is in place from noon until 9:00 on Friday, stretching from the north coast to Radnorshire

Stuart Pollitt
Reporting from Buxton, Derbyshire

I have spent the morning in Buxton where they are expecting heavy snowfall.

It has been falling steadily through the morning with the town centre very quiet.

We spoke to one shopkeeper who was hoping to sell a few sledges but not much else - he said this was the worst weather in the town since the Beast from the East blew in back in 2018.

The owners of the Buxton Trading Post said they have opened to serve a few regulars and were thankful they could walk home this afternoon as they expected driving to be very tricky.

Schools are closed in the area and some of the key roads in higher areas have shut too.

But, schoolchildren were taking advantage of the "snow day" to take their sledges to The Slopes - a hill in the town centre.

Image source, Dalgety47/ Weather Watchers

More warnings for snow and ice are in place across Scotland after the Highlands again recorded the coldest night of the year.

Temperatures fell to -16C at Altnaharra, making it the lowest UK March temperature since 2010.

One Met Office snow alert covers the south of Scotland from 07:00 on Thursday to 14:00 on Friday.

Another warning includes parts of the Highlands and the north and east coasts from 17:00 until 10:00 on Friday.

It comes after an Arctic blast saw temperatures drop across the country on Wednesday with school closures in Shetland, Aberdeenshire and Highland.

A number of schools in Aberdeenshire, external remain closed today.

Read more here.

Elderly people should - if they can - avoid trying to save money by using less heating during the cold weather, charity Age UK says.

It warns that prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can have a "substantial impact" on older people's health.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams told the PA news agency that having plenty of hot food and drinks throughout the day, as well as wrapping up warm when going outside and sleeping with the windows closed at night, are simple ways to keep the cold at bay.

The cold weather can increase the risk of a stroke, heart attack and hypothermia, John Palmer from Independent Age warned.

He said layering up clothes, using electric blankets at night, using draft excluders, staying active if possible, and visiting warm spaces provided by local councils could also help people stay warm.

Steven McKenzie
BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter

Image source, SAIS Northern Cairngorms

Visitors to Scotland's mountains have been urged to adequately equip themselves for the conditions, and also be aware of potential risks.

Recent heavy snowfall has followed a "lean period" of limited snow cover,

Ross Cadie, senior mountain safety advisor at Mountaineering Scotland, said: "After such a long spell of patchy but stable snow, the new snowfall in the north and east will be a welcome sight for those who enjoy Scottish winter.

"But this new soft snow has been creating weak cornices, and hides weaknesses deeper in the snowpack, creating a higher avalanche hazard."

Walkers, climbers and backcountry winter sports enthusiasts have been urged to check mountain weather and Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecasts before heading out.

Image source, PA Media

It's just gone 13:45 and all day so far we've been covering the latest batch of adverse weather to hit the UK.

If you're just joining us let's bring you up to date with a quick recap:

• Snowstorms are due to affect large parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• The Met Office has issued three amber warnings for "strong winds bringing blizzard conditions" and up to 16in (40cm) of snow for an area stretching from Stoke-on-Trent to Durham, North Wales, and Northern Ireland
• "Significant disruption" to transport including flights, power lines and phone network coverage is likely in the regions covered by the warnings, the Met Office warns
• East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire has been forced to close its runway; while RAF training exercises in Lincolnshire have also been halted due to the snowfall
• An amber snow alert for England is expected to last for 21 hours from 15:00 this afternoon and will covers major cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds
• In Wales, the amber snow and ice warning is in place from noon until 09:00 on Friday, stretching from the north coast to Radnorshire
• Northern Ireland is also bracing for an amber weather warning which will cover Belfast and areas south of the city from 15:00 on Thursday until 04:00 on Friday
• All of this comes after the coldest temperature of 2023 - minus 16C - was recorded at Altnaharra in the Highlands on Wednesday night

We've received some lovely photos capturing what people across the UK are up to in the snow.

Here's a selection of some of your icy adventures so far.

Image source, Louise Pearson

Image source, Andy Warner

Image source, Remi Oduyemi

Giancarlo Rinaldi
South Scotland reporter

Image source, JenniP/BBC Weather Watchers

The first Met Office warning involving southern Scotland has passed without causing major problems.

Parts of Berwickshire saw some snow – with the A1 affected in places – but most main roads remained clear and no schools have had to close.

A second alert is now in place until Friday afternoon and Scottish Borders Council has put winter contingency arrangements in place with additional resources on standby to help with snow clearance if needed.

The heaviest snowfalls are anticipated on higher ground but the local authority said it would be in continued contact with the Met Office to monitor the forecast and conditions across the region.

Earlier we mentioned snow forcing East Midlands Airport to close its runway but further north the weather is having an impact on an RAF Waddington training exercise in Lincolnshire.

Planes are not taking off due to the current conditions, BBC Radio Lincolnshire have confirmed.

The training, which features jets from the air forces of nations across the globe, includes planes from Saudi Arabia, Finland, Belgium and India.

The twice-yearly event is due to run to 24 March.

Jennifer Bartram
Weather presenter, BBC Look North

Let's have a closer look at those three amber warnings which have been issued by forecasters for various parts of the UK.

The areas stretch from Stoke-on-Trent to Durham, North Wales and parts of Northern Ireland.

"Significant disruption" to transport including flights, power lines and phone network coverage is likely in the regions covered by the warnings.

You can see more in the chart below.

Image source, .

Barra Best
BBC News NI

In Northern Ireland an amber warning has been issued for snow in parts of counties Antrim, Down and Armagh.

As we've been reporting, that is the second highest level of warning that can be issued by the Met Office and it will last from 15:00 on Thursday until 04:00 on Friday.

The rest of Northern Ireland remains under a yellow warning.

Snow is expected to develop across many areas into the afternoon before becoming more heavy and persistent towards the east coast.

The Met Office is warning of atrocious travel conditions, especially over the higher ground.

Between 4-8 cm of snow is expected away from immediate coasts which between 10-20 cm over higher ground.

In the Republic of Ireland, the second highest level has been issued for 13 counties for snow across Ulster, Connacht as well as parts of Munster and Leinster.

Met Éireann has warned of significant accumulations of snow in some areas along with ice conditions.

Forecasters have been warning about travel today and in the last few moments East Midlands Airport has been forced to temporarily shut its runway.

One inbound Ryanair flight from Wroclaw, Poland, has had to divert to Birmingham Airport while other flights leaving East Midlands have been blighted by delays.

In a statement, the Leicestershire airport said: "Following a period of heavy snowfall, we have temporarily closed our runway.

"Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume at the earliest opportunity.

"Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information."

Parents in the West Midlands are being asked to collect their children from school as soon as possible due to the worsening conditions.

At least 250 schools are already closed, with the number looking likely to increase.

Most of the closures are in Shropshire, where 70 schools have shut so far.

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Laura and Glenn

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Timba

I often hear the phrase "it’s too cold to snow". This holds some truth but probably not for the reason you think.

While temperature is linked, it is actually about the amount of moisture in the air needed for it to snow.

Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warmer air so if temperatures fall well below freezing there simply is not enough moisture to create snowflakes

In the UK, some of the heaviest snowfall can occur when the temperature is 0-2C.

This is because the edges of a snowflake will start to melt which enables them to be able to stick to surrounding snowflakes, making them larger.

Rebecca Wearn
Reporting from High Peak, Derbyshire

As I pulled up in Sparrow Pit, the highways team were putting out road closure signs to Winnats Pass – the ridge road running into the picturesque Hope Valley.

But, in spite of warnings and closures from earlier this morning, the team told me it has not deterred some motorists taking their chances.

Four roads are currently closed in the Peak District in Derbyshire - Winnats Pass, Rush Up Edge, Holme Moss and Snakes Pass - all steep and at high altitude.

This morning the main A roads which run from Manchester to Sheffield were open, but schools were beginning to close as the snow thickened.

It is set to get worse as the day goes on.

Image source, Getty Images

Drivers are being warned to think carefully about setting off today as the motoring organisation RAC says conditions are expected to get worse before they get better.

The RAC's Rod Dennis says the company is seeing a 50% increase in breakdowns in the worst-hit areas including in South Yorkshire and Wales.

He says: "Rural routes through central and northern England covered by the Met Office’s amber weather warning are also starting to get difficult to negotiate, and these are areas drivers should avoid if they can."

He adds:

The bad weather has forced Camilla, the Queen Consort, to postpone a visit to Newmarket Racecourse in Suffolk.

She had been due to visit to mark the 40th anniversary of The British Racing School, opened by the then Prince of Wales in 1983.

Buckingham Palace said the decision to postpone was taken this morning.