Further weather warnings have been issued for England, Scotland and Wales amid heavy snow and freezing rain that has been forecast this weekend.
A new yellow weather warning has been issued for rain, affecting Wales, north-west England, east Midlands and the west Midlands.
Meanwhile, another yellow warning was also issued on Saturday morning for eastern Scotland, including Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness. It is in place until early on Monday.
The warnings came as a Met Office spokesperson confirmed temperatures had reached a low of -8.6C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire late on Saturday.
Weather warnings, including two amber warnings – the second most severe – had already been put in place for Wales, the Midlands and northern England for snow and ice.
The Met Office said stranded vehicles on the roads, delayed or cancelled rail and air travel and power cuts were all likely as the country grappled with a week-long spell of wintry conditions.
There was also a “good chance” that rural communities could be cut off because of the weather, with up to 30cm of snowfall expected in some areas.
National Highways warned a “spell of disruptive snow” would spread across southern and central parts of the road network on Saturday night.
Drivers in high-altitude areas, particularly the Cotswolds and the Peak District, were warned to take particular care. Gwent police issued a warning for black ice on Friday.
Road users in north England were warned up to 25cm of snow could hit parts of the network including the A66 Old Spittal, A628 Woodhead Pass and M62 at Windy Hill.
The Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said in a post on X: “Many parts of the UK [are] seeing warnings throughout this weekend. Snow and ice covering large parts of England and Wales, also northern parts of Scotland as well.
“As we head through Saturday and into Sunday, we start to see significant snowfall across parts of England and Wales – perhaps up to 40cm over the higher ground [and] parts of northern England, the Pennines in particular.”
The first amber warning for snow and freezing rain, affecting Wales, the Midlands, and north-west England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the second, for snow, affecting the Pennines, Lake District and parts of Yorkshire, runs from 9pm in Saturday to midnight on Sunday.
Both areas affected by the warnings can expect 3cm to 7cm of snowfall widely, while snow may mix with rain at times in lower-lying areas, the forecaster said.
A yellow warning for snow and ice affects much of England, running from midday on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.
Much of Northern Ireland is affected by a similar warning from 9pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday.
A yellow warning for ice and snow applies to northern Scotland and Orkney and the Shetland Islands.
The Isle of Man is subject to an amber weather warning for snow from 11pm on Saturday to 3am on Monday.
Horse racing at Sandown Park in Surrey was abandoned on Saturday, with the racecourse saying the weather meant there “would not be sufficient time for the ground to become raceable”.
In a statement posted on social media, the racecourse added: “Following this morning’s inspection, sadly racing today has been abandoned due to frozen ground.”
The Met Office chief forecaster, Jason Kelly, said some “significant accumulations” of snow were possible in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, and the additional factor of strengthening winds could lead to drifting of lying snow.
He continued: “There is a risk of freezing rain across parts of the Midlands and northern England, but especially Wales, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places.
“As the super-cooled rain droplets hit the surface they instantly freeze, covering everything in a layer of ice, making it extremely dangerous.”
The UK Health Security Agency cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.
Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until 8 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Councils across London and southern England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help rough sleepers stay safe during the cold snap.
Several football matches have been called off, the highest profile being Cheltenham Town’s game against League Two leaders Walsall.
Some non-league fixtures also fell victim to the weather, as did games in the Scottish Professional Football League.
