Marita Moloney
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Many of us will be waking up to frozen landscapes in the coming days as Arctic weather conditions bring ice and snow across the UK.

It also means we may need to de-ice our cars in the mornings, but it's not just a matter of pouring hot water on the windscreen and driving off.

In fact, this is exactly what you shouldn't do - pouring hot or boiling water on a frozen windscreen will only crack the glass or cause the screen to quickly freeze again.

Instead, the AA says you should turn on your car - ensuring the wipers are off to avoid damage - and then turn on the warm air blower on the windscreen.

You should also turn on your rear windscreen heater, plus the air con to ensure your windows don't fog up. The next step is to then clear any snow with a soft brush, before moving on to using a scraper and de-icer on the car.

The AA also advises motorists to steer clear of any hacks they might have heard of - including using half a potato on the inside windows to stop them steaming up.

Simon King from BBC Weather explains why it is difficult to forecast snow in the UK accurately.

He says there are lots variables that affect when snow will fall here, like the sea and air temperature, the amount of rain in the atmosphere and the basic geographical position.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning affecting an area between Stoke-on-Trent and Durham and is set to come into force from 3pm on Thursday.

An amber warning means there is a likelihood that severe weather will disrupt your plans, with a possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, and power cuts.

There is also a potential risk to life and property.

People are advised to consider changing plans and think about whether there is anything they can do ahead of time stop minimise the impact of severe weather and themselves or their property.

National Highways has issued a severe travel alert warning of snow, wind, and poor visibility across England's North West, North East, and Midlands.

The alert is set to remain in place from 9am on Thursday until 8am on Friday, with drivers advised to check ahead and plan for disruption to their journeys.

The RAC has said motorists should heed the warnings and that, for those in the worst affected, it may be best to work from home.

They said those who have no choice but to drive should only do so if they are properly prepared and if their cars are ready for the conditions, with well-inflated tyres and sufficient levels of oil, coolant, and screenwash.

Image source, PA Media

The Met Office has warned that heavy snowfall could cause disruption to transport across large parts of the UK during the course of today.

If you are planning to travel by train, check whether your service is disrupted here, external.

For bus journeys, it's best to consult your local bus provider's website.

If you plan on taking one of England's major roads - motorways and trunk routes - then head over to the National Highways site, external.

So just to recap as Thursday gets under way - the Met Office, external has issued several yellow weather warnings, as well as one amber one, for later on today. This comes after the cold snap brought snow and ice to southern Wales and England on Wednesday.

Here's where there are warnings today:

• An amber warning for heavy snow is likely to cause significant disruption from Thursday afternoon through to Friday morning across parts of northern England, the Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber
• Yellow warnings for spells of snow and icy patches are in place across large parts of England, Wales and Scotland. Another yellow warning for heavy snow is also in place across most of Northern Ireland

In a nutshell forecasters are predicting the worse of the weather will be in an area extending from the Peak District to the north Pennines.

Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the cold weather which has been sweeping across the UK for much of this week.

Amber and yellow warnings remain in force across much of the country, with snow and icy conditions expected to affect roads and public transport.

Stay with us for all the latest advice, forecasts, and travel updates throughout the day.

Heather Sharp & Jamie Whitehead
Live reporters

Thanks for joining us for our coverage of a cold and snowy day across the UK. We're bringing this page to a close for now, but it's likely there'll be more coverage in the morning as the wintry weather is expected to continue.

Here's where we are as we head into the evening:

• There are yellow warnings for snow and ice overnight into tomorrow, across the Scottish highlands, the north-east of England across parts of Wales and southern England
• More snow is forecast across Wales, the midlands and eastern England overnight
• Further snowfalls are predicted on Thursday, and overnight into Friday, with up to 30-40cm in higher areas of Wales and northern England
• The Met Office says strong winds could create blizzard conditions in some areas tomorrow
• Drivers in affected areas are urged to either stay home or plan their journeys ahead and travel well prepared
• Charities are advising the elderly to keep the heating on if possible, wrap up warm and have plenty of hot food and drinks
• We've enjoyed seeing your photos of landscapes transformed by the icy conditions, as well as children, dogs and skiers making the most of the snow - and we've heard from some who have seen snow for the first time

Today's coverage was brought to you by Alys Davies, Andre Rhoden-Paul, Gem O'Reilly, Jaroslav Lukiv, James FitzGerald, Marita Moloney, Sarah Fowler, Tarik Habte, Jamie Whitehead, Nathan Williams, Tom Spender and Heather Sharp.

You can read our latest news story here, and BBC Weather will have the latest forecasts for you throughout the night.

And we'll leave you with one of our favourite videos from today - these chilly chickens enjoying a meal in the snow.

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey has said strong winds tomorrow could create blizzard conditions and snow drifts.

"We're going to see a cold night again tonight, especially in Scotland," she said. "That Arctic maritime air will cross large swathes of the country on Thursday"

Temperatures tonight could drop to -5C in Edinburgh and -3C in London, and plummet to -12C in Aviemore in the Highlands, she said.

Maxey said average snow levels of 2-5cm are expected across much of the UK tomorrow, with up to 15cm (six inches) on higher ground in northern England and more than 25cm (10 inches)" likely in the Scottish Highlands.

Image source, .

This week's cold weather is one thing - and the lasting impact on your wallet during the energy crisis is another. Head here for our latest advice on what to do if you're struggling to pay your bills.

A few key tips:

• Check your usage. Your monthly payment is based on your estimated energy use for the year, and your supplier may reduce your bill if its estimate is higher than the amount you actually use
• You can also request a flexible monthly direct debit, in which you pay for what you actually use each month. This requires a smart meter or regular readings
• If the direct debit is fair, but you can't meet it, ask your supplier for an "able to pay plan" based on paying what you can afford. That will mean your arrears accrue more slowly
• Check you are claiming all the benefits you can, and the full range of government help that's been offered from October 2022 to March 2023. Definitely check the full article for more details on these - and bear in mind there's a different arrangement in Northern Ireland
• Look at your boiler settings. Many have a hot water pre-heat option. But most homes don't need this, and turning it off saves money

The BBC's Simon King forecasts more snow tonight, and up to 40cm (16in) tomorrow night.

Watch our video above to get more details on what the UK's got in store.

There's a risk that some key commuter routes across northern England and the Midlands could see up to 30cm of snow tomorrow, which could cause significant travel disruption, warns the National Highways agency.

The transport body has issued a severe weather warning for the North East, North West and Midlands regions, advising that travel between 9am on Thursday to 8am on Friday should be planned ahead to avoid delays and possible stranding.

The Trans-Pennine routes around Sheffield and Huddersfield are expected to see a build up of at least 10-20cm of snow, while the M62 which connects Liverpool, Hull, Manchester, Bradford and Leeds could see 20-30cm of snowfall, it says.

Widespread strong winds reaching up to 50mph in the North West are expected, and the agency is advising delaying travel if possible.

Image source, Getty Images

No, snow will not kill your garden, assures the Royal Horticultural Society's Guy Barter.

The organisation's chief horticulturalist has told gardening enthusiasts that the recent cold snap shouldn't affect our plants, as we're still a few weeks away from the 'horticultural spring' which begins later this month.

Speaking to the BBC, Barter also advised those eager to start planting outdoors that while it's nice to get started, there's no big loss in holding off until mid-April.

Tomatoes, aubergines and peppers can be sown indoors for those keen to get their green fingers moving, ready to plant out in six weeks time.

If you do have some particularly prized plants that you are concerned about, here are Guy's top tips for keeping them safe from the cold:

• Bring potted plants in overnight if you are concerned about them frosting over
• Cover outdoor plants with a protective fleece
• Move indoor plants away from cold windows

It's not just snowsports that are celebrating the icy weather across Scotland, but it also brings out the photographers in their droves.

Here's the latest array of pictures from BBC Weather Watchers and beyond.

Image source, ANGELA CAMPBELL

Image source, Cairngorm Mountain

Image source, MERCURYBLUE/BBC WEATHER WATCHERS

Image source, ANDY GRANT

Image source, VICKYA/BBC WEATHER WATCHERS

Image source, IANRTINVERURIE/BBC WEATHER WATCHERS

There's been more warnings for snow and ice put in place across Scotland after the Highlands saw the lowest March temperature in the UK since 2010.

One Met Office alert covers northern parts of Scotland from 18:00 on Wednesday to 10:00 on Thursday.

Another yellow "be aware" warning stretches down the east coast from Edinburgh into the Borders from 17:00 on Wednesday to 07:00 on Thursday.

A final snow warning covers southern Scotland from Thursday into Friday.

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

• Read more here
• The latest weather warnings from the Met Office, external
• More details from BBC Weather

James Cheyne
Reporting from Glasgow

Gritting teams across Scotland are getting ready to treat the roads with hundreds of tonnes of grit as the worst of the cold weather blows in.

On the south side of Glasgow, workers from Amey are loading the vehicles from a huge pile beside the M74 motorway.

They will drop 200 tonnes around the city in the next 24 hours, while other groups of gritters head further south to help keep the motorways and main roads moving.

Most of the gritters in Scotland are named.

The one being loaded up in front of us is ‘Freeze Witherspoon’, the one that pulled out ahead of her was ‘Snowing Me Snowing You.’

Gritney Spears and Sir David Atenbrrrrrr are other recent additions to the fleet.

We're sure we're not the only ones who've been tinkering with our home thermostats in this weather.

Scientists describe 18C (64F) as the "tipping point", below which the body starts to experience adverse effects or even health risks.

So, in an ideal world we'd all heat the room we're in to at least that temperature. But when that's not possible, here are some tips from Prof Damian Bailey, from the University of South Wales:

• Focus on clothes that provide good insulation such as those made of wool
• Gloves and warm socks are more important than a hat (but a woolly hat will help too)
• Switch foods to a higher carbohydrate diet
• Generate more body heat by moving around and not just sitting in a chair and watching TV

Image source, James Gallagher

A room that measures 10C (50F) may not sound too chilly, but such a temperature can have a profound impact on the heart, lungs and brain.

James Gallagher, the presenter of the Inside Health programme on BBC Radio 4, recently undertook an experiment which saw him trying to complete tasks while the room was gradually dropped to that temperature.

"What shocks me is the change in blood flow to the brain and how much longer it takes me to complete a shape-sorting game," he wrote.

And he discovered that living in a cold temperature doesn't just slow you down - it brings health risks, too. It's for this reason that scientists recommend you keep your home heated to at least 18C, if you can.

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 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.

Image source, .

We know many of you will be facing challenging journeys tonight as a result of the weather conditions.

The BBC is keen to know about your experiences, so do get in touch to tell us about your trip (provided it's safe and legal to use your device).

You can send us words and photos via the Get Involved button at the top of the page, or by emailing us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.