Hundreds of schools across the UK have been closed and roads left treacherous as the country experiences its first significant winter blast, with blizzards, ice, and freezing temperatures. The Met Office has issued eight yellow snow and ice warnings for Thursday, covering regions including Devon, Cornwall, Kent, East Anglia, northeast England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and northern Scotland.
An amber weather alert was in place for the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds from 3am to 9pm, warning of occasional blizzards and up to 25cm of snow on hills, likely to cause substantial disruption. In Scotland, Aberdeenshire was worst hit, with over 90 schools closed. In Wales, 36 schools 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 also closed.
Road closures included the A1 northbound between Morpeth and Alnwick for over two hours, the A171, and the A169 Pickering to Whitby. Drivers in North Yorkshire were advised to make only essential journeys, while Pembrokeshire council warned of extremely hazardous conditions on most roads. The AA advised motorists to slow down and allow extra time, as stopping distances can increase tenfold on icy surfaces.
The Met Office reported the coldest night of the season so far in Northern Ireland, Wales, and England, with temperatures dropping to -6.6C at RAF Benson, Oxfordshire, and -6.4C in Sennybridge, Powys. Thursday night could see lows of -10C in rural Scotland. 'Thundersnow' was observed in Aberdeenshire and off the northeast coast, with a risk of more in eastern Scotland and northeast England.
Temperatures are expected to rise towards averages by the weekend, with wetter and windier weather, but not as mild as earlier this month. An amber cold health alert from the UK Health Security Agency remains in force across northern England until Saturday. Despite the disruption, some embraced the snow for photography, sledging, and building snowmen, while bookmaker William Hill shortened odds for a White Christmas in Aberdeen, Newcastle, and London.
