Parts of Britain awoke to inches of snow, heavy frost and low-lying mist this morning as temperatures plummeted to -3C – kicking off the winter cold snap which is set to last throughout the week.
Severe weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for the north west of England, most of Scotland and Northern Ireland today, with forecasters predicting snowfall accumulations of between 5cm and 10cm.
Widespread snow has already fallen across Inverness, Northumberland, Cumbria, the Peak District and Buxton in Derbyshire, with children taking to sledges and dogwalkers out in force to make the most of it.
The rest of the country is braced for 'slushy deposits' of hail, snow and sleet today, before temperatures plummet to as low as -8C in rural parts on Monday on what will be the 'coldest night of the week'.
Plummeting temperatures will make parts of Britain colder than Moscow as the 'arctic blast' brings 'substantial' swathes of snow and sleet as far as the Midlands and western England over the next couple of days.
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Cold snap: Temperatures dropped to almost -3C in parts of Britain last night, with forecasters warning the cold weather is set to continue this week, and bring with it more snow and gale-force winds. Pictured: A train battles through heavy snowfall in Inverness this morning
Travel chaos: The Met Office is warning of disruption on roads and railways as snow falls across parts of the UK, including Inverness (above)
Winter wonderland: A dogwalker made the most of the heavy snowfall in the picturesque village of Tomatin near Inverness this morning
Fun and games: Children took to sledges as they played in the snow this morning after accumulations of up to 10cm fell in Inverness
Snowfall: Severe weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for the north west of England,
most of Scotland and Northern Ireland today, with forecasters predicting snowfall accumulations of between 5cm and 10cm. Pictured: A man clears snow from his drive in Tomatin, Scotland
Forecasters said the coldest place in England last night was Frittenden, Kent, where the mercury dropped to -2.9C.
It was closely followed by Shoreham Airport in West Sussex, and Charlwood in Surrey, where temperatures hit -2.8C and -2.7C respectively.
Temperatures were also recorded as -2.2C in Writtle, near Chelmsford in Essex.
Today, the Met Office posted on Twitter: 'Polar maritime air will make it feel colder today with a chance of #uksnow in the north, especially on higher ground (sic).'
Calum MacColl, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the plummeting temperatures were due to a band of cold air moving across the country, combined with clear skies overnight.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2864173/Here-comes-cold-snap-Britain-wakes-widespread-frost-temperatures-plummet-3C-prompting-forecasters-issue-snow-ice-weather-warnings.html#ixzz3LEBFOOyX
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