The UK has experienced its first significant winter blast, with snow, blizzards, and ice causing widespread disruption. The Met Office issued eight yellow weather warnings for snow and ice on Thursday, covering areas including Devon, Cornwall, Kent, east coast of England, East Anglia, north-east England, south-west and north-west Wales, Northern Ireland, and northern Scotland.
A rare amber warning was in place for the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds from 3am to 9pm, forecasting blizzards and up to 25cm of snow on hills, likely to cause substantial disruption. Hundreds of schools closed, including over 90 in Aberdeenshire, 36 in Pembrokeshire, and about 30 in North Yorkshire. Many roads were blocked or treacherous, with the A1 northbound near Morpeth closed for over two hours and the A171 shut entirely.
Drivers were advised to make only essential journeys and to drive slowly. Shaun Jones, an AA expert patrol, warned that stopping distances can increase tenfold on icy surfaces. Temperatures dropped to -6.6C in Oxfordshire, -6.4C in Powys, and -2.8C in County Antrim, with rural Scotland potentially reaching -10C on Thursday night.
The Met Office reported 'thundersnow' in Aberdeenshire and off the north-east coast, with a risk of more on Thursday. An amber cold health alert from the UK Health Security Agency remains in force across northern England until Saturday morning. Temperatures are expected to rise towards the weekend, but wetter and windier weather will follow.
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.
