UK weather: Sub-zero temperatures to ease after coldest night

Freezing temperatures are expected to ease slightly after most of the UK had the coldest night of winter so far.

Frequent snow showers affected northern Scotland on Thursday but an amber warning has now ended.

Yellow warnings for ice and snow are still in place in areas across the UK.

While the low overnight on Wednesday did not beat Tuesday's -14C in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands, UK temperatures taken as a whole made Wednesday night the coldest of winter.

On Wednesday night, temperatures dropped to:

• -11.1C in Shap, England

• -9.4C Sennybridge, Wales

• -7.2C Katesbridge, Northern Ireland

In Scotland, where hundreds of schools have been closed, the temperature dipped as low as -13.6C, the second lowest UK temperature this winter.

The Met Office recorded the provisional figure in Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands.

On Tuesday night the mercury fell to -14C in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands, making it the coldest January night since 2019.

A man clears snow from his home in Ardgay, Scotland

The bins were still collected from snow-filled streets in Bonar Bridge, Scotland

Fen skaters on a frozen lake in Upware, Cambridgeshire

On Thursday the bitterly cold Arctic air stayed with us and, as well as giving snow in northern Scotland, there were some wintry showers in parts of Northern Ireland, north and west Wales, eastern England and some parts of the south-west.

An amber warning was in place for the Shetland Islands and far north of Scotland until 18:00 GMT on Thursday.

Police said some drivers were stranded in Caithness when heavy snow forced the A9 to be shut between Helmsdale and Dunbeath.

Three gritters and a tractor snow plough have been trying to clear the route.

An ambulance overturned in Aberdeenshire in heavy snow. No-one was injured in the incident on the A98 at Boyndlie.

The Met Office has also issued some yellow weather warnings. They are:

• A snow and ice warning for much of Northern Ireland as well as northern and western Scotland until 23:59 on Thursday and warnings of ice going into Friday

• A warning of ice for north-west England, south-west England, Wales and the West Midlands from 18:00 on Thursday to 10:00 on Friday

While Thursday night will be another cold night with a widespread frost, it is not expected to be as cold as Tuesday or Wednesday night as slightly milder air comes in from the west.

In Northern Ireland, non-major roads are not being gritted due to a strike, and motorists are being urged to take care given the icy weather.

All schools have remained closed in Orkney and in Shetland, where many have been shut since Monday.

In Aberdeenshire, almost all schools are closed. South of the border eight schools have closed in Lancashire.

In north and west Wales snow has forced more than 40 schools to close on Thursday.

National Rail have warned wintry weather could affect train journeys.

ScotRail cancelled stopping services between Dundee and Arbroath, Montrose and Inverurie and Inverness to Elgin, while services between Inverness and Edinburgh/Glasgow will take 30 minutes longer.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber cold weather alert for England this week, meaning the NHS is expected to come under extra pressure and elderly people or those with underlying health conditions may be more at risk.

The cold spell has resulted in automatic £25 payments for households in receipt of certain benefits being triggered in more than 220 postcodes.

The payments are made in areas where temperatures are, or are forecast to be, below zero for seven consecutive days.

Our top tips for the cold weather

• How to drive in snow and icy weather

• How to look after dogs and other pets in the cold

• The best way to de-ice a car and other winter tips

• How do cold weather health alerts work?

Alongside the snow and ice, a risk of flooding also persists for some parts.

As of 18:00 on Thursday, there were 13 flood warnings - meaning flooding is likely - and 59 flood alerts - meaning flooding is possible - in England.

Over the weekend the UK will see much milder Atlantic air coming in along with rain and strong winds.

There is a Met Office yellow warning for wind for Sunday affecting many northern and western parts of the UK with the potential for gusts up to 60-70mph. This could cause some travel disruption and power cuts.

Temperatures will rise to up to 12C in places on Sunday.

Snow covered roads in Marden in Whitley Bay, on the North East coast

Swans and seagulls on a frozen Tynemouth boating lake

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.