The UK suffered the coldest night of autumn this year with freezing temperatures widely recorded and seven yellow weather warnings for ice in force.
Temperatures plummeted to -12.6C (9F) in Scotland, -7.8C (17F) in England, -7.2C (19F) in Wales and -6C (21F) in Northern Ireland in the early hours of Friday.
The coldest temperatures were recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, and there were also lows in Trawsgoed, Ceredigion, and Rostherne, Cheshire.
Forecaster Simon Partridge said the chill stemmed primarily from “a little ridge of high pressure moving across the UK overnight”.
The freezing conditions meant another day of disruption for schools, with some in Aberdeenshire, Wales and North Yorkshire closed for another day.
Earlier in the week, some 100 schools had been shut in northern Scotland on Thursday, while in Wales, 36 were closed in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion.
In North Yorkshire, 33 schools were closed while eight were listed as fully closed in East Yorkshire.
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Pic: PA
Drivers were urged to take care on the roads as the frosty conditions continued this morning. However, widespread sunshine was predicted for later Friday, with forecasters saying temperatures were set to rise.
“Friday is really the end of the really cold weather as things turn back to average by the time we get into the weekend,” meteorologist Simon Partridge said.
The yellow weather warnings for ice, covering large swathes of England, Wales and Scotland were expected to end by the afternoon.
Pic: PA
Meanwhile, pedestrians were urged to stick to pavements along main roads – with cyclists told to use main roads themselves – because they may be less slippery.
Some NHS trusts are also encouraging the public to walk like a penguin because it can reduce the risk of nasty trips on icy surfaces.
Laura Halcrow from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “It might look funny, but waddling really works. A slip on ice can cause painful injuries and even hospital stays, especially for older people.”
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‘Walk like a penguin’ – NHS advice
Gritters have been out in force to treat roads in the hardest-hit areas, especially in North Yorkshire.
However, while it will be turning milder as the weekend approaches, this will be accompanied by wet and windy conditions, as well as potentially heavy rain tomorrow.
“The British weather, fickle as always, looks like delivering a brief change to this milder westerly flow followed by an equally quick change back to a chilly northerly flow,” Sky’s weather presenter Jo Wheeler said.
