- As much as 11 inches of snow has fallen in parts of UK as forecasters warn some communities could be cut off
- Flights are suspended at Birmingham Airport while the runway is cleared, leaving passengers facing delays
- Amber weather warnings and -11C lows grip UK as temperatures struggled to get above freezing yesterday
- Storm Ana may bring 70mph winds and snow to southern England on Monday, the Met Office has forecasted
- Have you been affected by the snow or adverse weather? Send your pictures to [email protected]
By Alexander Robertson and Joe Sheppard and Amie Gordon For Mailonline
Published: 03:37 EST, 10 December 2017 | Updated: 04:36 EST, 10 December 2017
Up to 11 inches of snow has caused widespread disruption across large parts of the UK today with forecasters warning some communities could be cut off as temperatures plummet.
Britain has been hit by what forecasters describe as a 'snow bomb' this morning, meaning several inches of snow falling in a matter of hours, bringing roads and runways to a standstill.
Severe weather is forecast for a swathe of North Wales and central England and snow has settled on parts of Powys, Herefordshire and Shropshire at a rate of more than one inch an hour.
Flights have been suspended at Birmingham Airport while the runway is cleared, leaving passengers facing delays, while a north-bound section of the M1 has been closed in Leicestershire due to numerous vehicles being stranded.
Amber weather warnings are in place across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of western England as icy conditions plunged roads into chaos, with temperatures of -11C making it the coldest night of 2017.
Significant snow has also fallen in London and parts of the south east, as well Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Bedfordshire, while Sennybridge in Powys, Wales has experienced a snow depth of 11 inches.
Police forces in Wales and across the Midlands have urged motorists not to travel unless 'absolutely necessary' as they deal with surging calls.
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Snow falls in Woodford Green, north-east London this morning. Up to eight inches of snow will cause widespread disruption across large parts of the UK today


A gritter is used to attempt to rescue a car which has spun on the road in heavy snowfall on the A41 near Bourne End in Buckinghamshire this morning


Severe weather is forecast for a swathe of North Wales and central England on Sunday and snow has already fallen on parts of Powys, Herefordshire and Buckinghamshire (pictured) at a rate of more than one inch an hour


A lorry pushes the snow aside along Quinton Road in Birmingham this morning, after approximately 3 inches of snow has fallen this morning


Commuters wrap themselves up against the snow in Leytonstone, east London this morning. Britain has been hit by what forecasters describe as a 'snow bomb' this morning, meaning several inches of snow falling in a matter of hours


West Midlands Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team took to Twitter to post an image of of their Polaris six-by-six all-terrain vehicle which can reach places even four-by-four vehicles are unable to


Traffic grinds to a halt in front of a wintry backdrop on the A55 in Wales following an accident in blizzard conditions on Saturday


Police and ambulance crews attend the scene of a crash on the icy M6 near Preston, Lancashire, on Saturday morning. Officers confirmed no one was hurt in the incident


A dusting of snow covers the ground at a farm in Middleton-in-Teesdale on Saturday morning as the country is hit by sub-zero temperatures


Snow showers and below freezing temperatures made roads treacherous across parts of the UK on Sunday morning


Sheet ice completely covers the road in Foolow, in the Derbyshire Peak District on another freezing morning on Saturday


Temperatures plummeted over night well below freezing which caused these 7ft icicles to form under a bridge at the Killhope Lead Mining Museum in The North Pennines on Saturda
Persistent heavy snowfall is expected in the region throughout the morning, leading the Met Office to issue an amber weather warning that will be in place until 6pm.
Up to 4 inches is expected to build up quite widely, with 6 to 8 inches in some spots, raising the prospect of roads becoming impassable.
The amber alert is accompanied by a yellow warning of wind for parts of eastern England, London and the South East, the South West and Wales that could bring 'short-term loss of power and other services' as well as transport disruption.
And emergency services are preparing for all eventualities, with West Midlands Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team taking to Twitter to post an image of of their Polaris six-by-six all-terrain vehicle.
They said: 'Did you know we have a 6×6 Polaris with its own snow plough and stretcher to rescue patients?
'We use this to access patients in remote areas where even 4×4 ambulances can't reach!'
Highways England advised road users across the Midlands and northern England to check the forecast and routes before heading out as a section of the M1 was closed.
The authority tweeted that traffic had stopped on the M1 northbound between J16 and J17 due to 'numerous break downs/stuck vehicles'.
North Wales Police, Leicestershire Police and the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) urged motorists not to travel unless 'absolutely necessary'.
The CMPG tweted: 'Lots of snow overnight and it's still falling, difficult driving conditions across the motorway network & region's roads please only travel if absolutely necessary, make sure your car is fit to travel in & take extra clothes, drinks and snacks in case you get stuck or delayed.'
This graphic shows the temperature across the country as well as the wind speed, precipitation and air pressure as Storm Caroline sweeps across the UK. It also shows how the UK compares to other countries on the continent


Pedestrians in Aberdeen do their best not to slip over as they make their way down a snow-covered street on Saturday


Snow continued to affect Scotland yesterday. Pictured: A postman struggles to complete his round during a blizzard in Ellon, Aberdeenshire


A dusting of snow covered much of Cumbria yesterday morning making for some dangerous driving conditions


A car drives through the snow yesterday near Castleton in the Peak District. Widespread disruption is expected on the roads


A postman wearing a pair of shorts delivers mail in StalyBridge, Greater Manchester, yesterday morning
Temperatures already plunged to a bitterly cold -9°C in Dalwhinnie — the coldest temperature during the autumn and winter period.
And hundreds of homes are still without power in the West Midlands, where temperatures remained below freezing overnight.
The Met Office said: 'Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations. There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off.'
The Ministry of Defence spokesman said the Armed Forces 'stand ready to provide assistance if needed', while the Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze dubbed tomorrow 'Snow Sunday'.
He said: 'It will really pelt down, meeting the definition of a "snow bomb", an expression used when at least four inches of snow fall in a few hours as significant disruption always results.'
A yellow 'be aware' warning of snow and ice covering western parts stretching from Devon and Cornwall in the South to the far north of Scotland is in place until 6pm this evening, with temperatures struggling to get much higher than 0C (32F) 'across the board' throughout the day.
Highways England has advised road users intending to travel through the West Midlands and the north-west of England to check the forecast and road conditions before they travel.
Several roads in Wales have been declared 'impassable' due to the conditions with reports of vehicles becoming stuck in the Brecon Beacons.


Walkers make the most of the beautiful scenery at Winnats Pass in the Peak District, Derbyshire, yesterday morning


Families spend their Saturday morning sledging in the Brecon Beacons National Park


Snow covers the landscape over the Brecon Beacons, Wales, as the cold weather continues across the UK


Four men hike on the snow-covered mountains at Brecon Beacons National Park this afternoon


A football fan amuses herself by building a snowman at Gigg Lane, Bury, after the home side's match against AFC Wimbledon was postponed yesterday due to a frozen pitch


The sun peaks out from behind the trees as deep snow covers Ironbridge in Shropshire yesterday morning


A hardy swimmer runs to his clothes after taking a dip in the Serpentine at London's Hyde Park yesterday morning


The scantily-clad swimmers braved freezing temperatures in the park as bemused onlookers walked by on Saturday
While in Lancashire, motorists were subjected to long delays after two lanes were closed on the icy M6 for two hours following an accident.
Police advised motorists to 'drive to the conditions' after the vehicle collided with the central reservation on the motorway, near Preston. Officers confirmed no one was hurt in the incident.
In Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, this afternoon police were met head-on by a driver mistakenly attempting to join the wrong side of the M62 in extremely poor visibility.
Conditions are predicted to ease as the day progresses before the heavy snowfall tomorrow night with sunshine forecast large parts of England.
In Manchester, fire stations are opening their doors to the city's homeless to provide them with shelter against bitterly cold conditions.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: 'For much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern England it's going to be a sunny start to what will be a fine and sunny day and with the winds a bit lighter than yesterday it won't feel quite so bitter.
'You will still need a few layers on though.'
Tonight in Edinburgh some 9,000 people will brave the sub-zero temperatures when sleep in a park as part of a campaign to raise £4million to end homelessness in Scotland.
And in London this morning hardy swimmers were seen taking a dip in Hyde Park's Serpentine lake as in front of bemused onlookers.
Meanwhile, council gritting teams are on standby to cover roads across the country as temperatures are set to plummet for a second night. The Met Office forecast -10C (14F) lows in Scotland and -5C (23F) in England tomorrow.
Snow showers hit parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands yesterday.
Schools were closed and commuters faced havoc with cancelled trains and treacherous driving conditions.
On Friday night lows of -5.3C (22F) were recorded at Spadeadam in Cumbria, while widespread frost was forecast on Saturday night with lows of -12C (10F) expected in sheltered Scottish glens under clear skies.
Some 18,000 homes were reconnected after losing power as a result of stormy weather on Friday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said.
A total of 14cm (6in) of snow was recorded in Inverness-shire, while 12cm (4.7in) was recorded in Aviemore.


A father and his son walk their dog past a large snowman on Black Mountain in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday


Fizz the Collie dog had fun in the snow at woodlands near Muir of Ord in the Scottish Highlands


Hartington in the Derbyshire Peak District woke up to a thick blanket of snow first thing yesterday morning, with freezing temperatures and lows of -3C


People making their way to work in Birmingham Friday morning donned wellington boots, umbrellas and fur coats
Heading out of this weekend, Britain it set to be battered by Storm Ana, which could hit parts of the southern English channel bringing some snow and gusts of 70mph.
The storm, which was named by Spanish weather agencies and is caused by a deep depression which is expected to travel of France, is believed to batter the Bay of Biscay but could affect southern parts of Britain.
It could bring strong winds to parts of southern England on Monday should the storm take a northern trajectory, yet it may not effect Britain should it take a southern trajectory.
The Met Office is unclear about what path the storm may take. A spokesman confirmed that it will be monitoring the storm over the weekend and will offer weather warnings if necessary.
Dramatic pictures from across the country revealed a number of stricken vehicles which have crashed on treacherous roads in Scotland, Flintshire, the Peak District and Derbyshire.
Motorists filmed their perilous commutes to work and one driver captured the moment a huge wave washed over a commuter ferry in Scotland.
The Local Government Association confirmed that councils are prepared for the possibility of snow tomorrow as some 2,000 gritters across Britain are tackling the freeze.




Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks have issued a checklist to help residents in the event of a power cut
A spokesman for Highways England said: 'We work around the clock to keep traffic moving.'
The RAC predicted breakdowns to rocket 20 per cent to 7,000 tomorrow, with its busiest day since last winter due on Monday.
RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: 'Call-outs are expected to soar on Sunday, with Monday seeing the highest number of roadside requests since last winter.'
Network Rail said it is using a thermal-imaging helicopter running empty 'ghost trains' at night to clear snow and ice from the tracks.
And Britain's major airports are prepared: Heathrow has 500 snow-clearing staff and 185 snowploughs on duty while Gatwick has 98 snow-ploughs and blowers ready.
The Ministry of Defence spokesman said requests for assistance can be made to the department. 'Then we would see what help we can provide,' he added.
In December 2010, the Army cleared snow from streets in Edinburgh, provided ambulance services in Scotland and offered to clear Heathrow snow.
And in January 2013, the Army moved two buses stuck in snow for five hours in Northumberland.


A very excited-looking pooch pulls a hilarious face for the camera as it bounds around int he snowy Brecon Beacons


Abi, 9, Rhys, 11, and Ethan, 9, from Cardiff enjoy sledging in the snow on the mountains at Brecon Beacons National Park
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