Hundreds of schools are closed and roads blocked as the UK 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 areas including Devon, Cornwall, Kent, East Anglia, northeast England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and northern Scotland. An amber alert is in place for the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds, warning of blizzards and up to 25cm of snow on hills.
In Scotland, Aberdeenshire was worst hit with over 90 schools closed. Wales saw 36 closures 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 shut. Major roads, including the A1 in Northumberland and the A171, were closed, with police advising against travel to Malton, Scarborough, Whitby, and Filey.
Drivers were urged to slow down and allow extra time. Shaun Jones of the AA said stopping distances can increase tenfold on icy surfaces. Many attractions closed, including Ryedale Folk Museum in North Yorkshire for the first time in a decade due to snow. Researcher Rose Barrett noted snowy Novembers are rare, with the last significant one in 1925.
The Met Office reported the coldest night of the season so far, with temperatures dropping to -6.6C in Oxfordshire, -6.4C in Powys, and -2.8C in Co Antrim. Thursday night could see -10C in rural Scotland. "Thundersnow" was observed in Aberdeenshire and off the northeast coast. Temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend, but not to the exceptionally mild levels seen 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. Bookmaker William Hill shortened odds for a White Christmas, offering 6/5 in Aberdeen, 7/4 in Newcastle, and 7/1 in London.
