Hundreds of schools are closed and many roads are blocked or treacherous as the UK experiences its first significant blast of winter, with blizzards, ice and freezing temperatures affecting large parts of the country. The Met Office has issued eight separate yellow snow and ice warnings for Thursday, covering Devon, Cornwall, parts of Kent, the east coast of England, East Anglia, north-east England, south-west and north-west Wales, Northern Ireland and northern Scotland.
On the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds, a rare amber alert is in place from 3am to 9pm, warning of occasional blizzards and up to 25cm of snow on hills, likely to cause substantial disruption. In Scotland, Aberdeenshire is the worst-hit region with more than 90 schools closed. In Wales, 36 schools are shut in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion. About 30 schools in North Yorkshire, eight in East Yorkshire and a handful in Northumberland have also closed.
Road closures include the northbound A1 between Morpeth and Alnwick in Northumberland, closed for over two hours from 8am, and the A171, with police advising against travel to Malton, Scarborough, Whitby and Filey. The A169 from Pickering to Whitby was closed for much of the morning, along with many rural roads. Drivers in North Yorkshire are advised to make only necessary journeys, while Pembrokeshire council warns of extremely hazardous conditions on most roads.
The Met Office reports the coldest night of the winter so far in Northern Ireland, Wales and England, with temperatures dropping to -6.6C at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, -6.4C in Sennybridge, Powys, and -2.8C at Altnahinch Filters, Co Antrim. Thursday night could see lows of -10C in rural Scotland. An amber cold health alert from the UK Health Security Agency remains in force across northern England until Saturday.
Attractions such as Ryedale Folk Museum in North Yorkshire have closed due to snow for the first time in 10 years. Researcher Rose Barrett said historic photos show few snowy Novembers in the region. The Met Office also reports 'thundersnow' in Aberdeenshire and off the north-east coast, with a risk of more on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to rise towards the weekend, but will not be as mild as earlier this month.
