Ice warnings spread across parts of UK gripped by cold snap

Icy conditions will spread to more parts of the UK overnight after snow and ice forced hundreds of schools to close and roads closed in the worst-hit areas.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice in north-east Scotland, west Wales, south-west England and the east coast of England, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders until Friday. Snow and ice warnings are already in place in some areas.

Parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds are under an amber warning for snow and could see 15-25cm (6-10in).

Thursday is expected to be the coldest night of the week; temperatures will drop below zero and as low as -12C in rural Scotland.

The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold warnings for England until Saturday, saying colds could have significant impacts on the elderly and people with existing health problems.

Snow across the country on Thursday left Altnaharra in northern Scotland and Loch Glascarnoch in western Scotland covered in 9cm of snow as of 11am GMT.

Snow and ice yellow warnings currently in effect include:

• Parts of Wales including Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Swansea and Pembrokeshire until 23:59
• Parts of north-east England, south-east Scotland and Yorkshire and the Humber until 23:59
• Parts of central and northern Scotland until 21:00

The Met Office said the amount of snow will vary by location, with some places receiving little or no snow, while others could get as much as 2-5cm, with the highest ground in northern Scotland potentially receiving 15-20cm.

Yellow ice warnings currently in effect include:

• Cornwall, southwest England, until 11am on Friday
• East, south-east England, east Midlands and parts of Yorkshire & Humber until 11am on Friday

Yellow ice warnings, which will come into effect on Thursday and last until Friday, are as follows:

• Parts of north-east Scotland 21:00 – 11:00 on Friday
• Parts of north-east England and Yorkshire & Humber Friday 00:00 to 12:00
• Parts of West Wales from 00:00 to 11:00 on Friday

A yellow snow warning will be in place until 9pm on Thursday and covers north-east England and parts of Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Met Office said serious disruption was expected in parts of the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds, where a more severe amber warning was in force until 9pm.

High winds with occasional blizzard conditions and potentially a few lightning strikes could accompany snow showers and pose additional hazards.

While approximately 40 schools were closed in North Yorkshire on Thursday, it was stated that 10 schools were closed in East Yorkshire.

More than 100 schools have been closed in north-east Scotland as heavy snowfall caused further disruption across the region.

Aberdeenshire Council said dozens of schools could not open, and schools in Moray and the Highlands were also closed.

Major roads were affected, including parts of the A90 which were closed for several hours.

Traffic Scotland also reported that the A939 in Scotland was closed at the snow gate at Tomintoul due to adverse weather conditions.

In Wales, National Grid said engineers were dealing with “a number of separate incidents” in the west of the country due to adverse weather conditions on Thursday afternoon.

Updates said supply has since been restored in Newcastle Emlyn and Pontypridd.

40 schools were closed in Pembrokeshire, seven in Ceredigion and 14 in Carmarthenshire.

Ela McLoughlin, 14, was happy not to go to school in Crymych. Helen McLoughlin walked towards Foel Drygarn in the morning with Conan Blake and their dog Madog and saw people skiing.

In England, an amber cold warning has been issued by the UKHSA for the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber until 08:00 on Saturday; all other regions were under less severe yellow alerts.

Alerts warn health and social care services of significant impacts to more vulnerable members of society.

Alex Parker, from the North Yorkshire branch of the charity Age UK, told the BBC he was “genuinely concerned about the people we support and their ability to get out and about, go about their daily lives and ensure they are safe and comfortable in their own homes”.

This includes staying warm at home, as well as access to food, drink and medicine.

Mr Parker encourages people to check on elderly or vulnerable friends or neighbours.

David Jefferson, 79, of Beverley, told the BBC he found it “difficult to walk in the snow, especially at the time of my life”.

“The sooner it goes, the better actually.”