Coldest November night in 13 years for parts of UK

The snowy seaside town of Scarborough in North Yorkshire

People across parts of the UK had their coldest November night since 2010 on Wednesday - and have three more days of snow and ice warnings ahead of them.

On Aonach Mor in the Scottish Highlands, it was a bitter -8C (18F).

In lower-lying Prestwick, in Ayrshire, the overnight temperature fell to -5.5C (22F) and dropped to a chilly -6.1C (21F) in the Cumbrian town of Keswick.

Snow has fallen across Scotland and east England, as far south as Norfolk. It will stay cold for a few more days.

Freezing fog is making travel treacherous in parts of the Midlands, north-west England and Northern Ireland, and could develop elsewhere.

Later on Wednesday, more snow is expected in the north and east of Scotland, as well as the east of England.

There is a chance of some falling overnight into Thursday on the moors in south west England too.

In Northern Ireland, there has been a little rain and snow, dampening the ground. Combined with freezing fog, roads and pavements have been made icy. In north Wales there has been some sleet.

The current blasts of cold air are coming from Scandinavia where people are experiencing near-record cold November weather.

Overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday morning, some of the coldest places were:

• Bridgefoot, in Cumbria -7.2C (19F)

• Tyndrum in Crianlarich -5.8C (22F)

• Hawarden in Flintshire -3 (27F)

• Aldergrove, County Antrim -2.9C (27F)

The Met Office issued weather warnings for snow and ice from 17:00 GMT on Wednesday for parts of northern and eastern Scotland, north-east England and Yorkshire.

A second set are in place on Thursday for eastern Scotland and north-east England down to North Yorkshire, and for most of the day in south-west England. Much of Northern Ireland is being warned about ice on Thursday.

Snowy hills in Whitby, North Yorkshire, sent in by a BBC Weather watcher

The snow and ice warning has now been extended into Friday morning for most of the east coast of the UK.

These yellow graded warnings mean people could face hazardous conditions, with disruption and delays likely on roads and railways and icy patches on roads and pavements.

Drivers are being warned to take extra care, with many facing road closures. The A169 in Goathland in the North York Moors has been closed since last night, as has the A1671 between Whitby and Pickering.

In the capital, Sadiq Khan activated a "severe weather emergency protocol" for London - measures designed to protect rough sleepers, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing overnight.

It means all councils will be required to provide extra shelter for the homeless.

Fine snow coats the Aberdeenshire village of Braemar

The sun peeks out over the beach at Cayton in North Yorkshire

In neighbouring Lancashire, a smattering of snow fell in Heapey

• The difficulties in forecasting snow

• Brrr-ace yourselves: Sub-zero scenes in Scotland

• Can I get a Cold Weather Payment?

Separately, the UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber cold-health alert for the health sector for northern regions of England, meaning "significant impacts are probable".

The amber alert indicates that the cold weather is likely to affect the whole health service, with the potential for the entire population to be at risk, the agency says.

A less severe yellow cold-health warning is in place for the Midlands. Both alerts are in force from 18:00 GMT on Tuesday until 5 December.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, from the agency, urged people to check on the vulnerable and told the over-65s and sick to heat their most-used rooms, like the living room or the bedroom.

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

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