In northern Scotland¸ hundreds of schools have been shut after a weather warning for snow and ice was extended until Friday. The Met Office has warned that snowfall could reach up to 10 cm in higher regions. The office has issued ‘Yellow’ warning for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Outer Hebrides.

Scotland is continuing to be hit by freezing weather, with rain, sleet and snow expected to fall across large parts of the country. Temperatures at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands fell to -11C on Saturday night after forecasters extended a yellow warning from 09:00 on Sunday until 12:00 on Monday.

The Met Office warned there is a chance of travel disruption on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, as well as delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.

A three-day snow warning has been issued by the Met Office for much of Britain, with temperatures set to plunge for the first weekend of 2025. Around 5cm of snow is expected to fall widely across swathes of the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm over high ground in Wales or the Pennines.

The alert will run for 24 hours from midday, covering Grampian, the Highlands, Orkney & Shetland, Dumfries & Galloway and across Ayrshire.

Snow and sleet began to hit southern England on Wednesday afternoon as an amber weather warning came into force, with the Met Office saying further warnings are likely to be issued as the week goes on.

The Met Office has issued several warnings for snow and ice this week, with temperatures plunging to well below freezing in some areas. An Arctic blast has tipped out a massive amount of snow over the last few days.

Snow and icy conditions force about 80 schools to close.