UK (Commonwealth Union)_Schools have been forced to close and commuters face travel chaos after an Arctic blast caused temperatures to plummet below freezing.
The Met Office issued snow and ice warnings for large swathes of the United Kingdom, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. The warnings are in place until Thursday, with the frosty and cold conditions set to stay.
A Cold-Health Alert was also issued by the UK Health Security Agency, warning of possible impacts for the health and social care sector.
More than 100 schools in Scotland have been forced to close due to the freezing conditions, with others opening later.
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22 school closures took place in Aberdeenshire while almost all other schools were either opening late, facing transport issues or were partially closed.
75 schools were closed in the Highlands, while others were partially closed or had delayed openings. Twenty-six schools in Shetland were closed.
Schools in England have also been affected, with several closed in Manchester at least 35 schools closed in Merseyside.
Commuters, meanwhile, faced major rail and road disruption on Tuesday morning.
National Highways put a severe weather alert in place for snow across the north west, with Brits warned to take extra care and plan ahead for trips on the road.
Certain rural communities also face being temporarily cut off amid the cold snap.
National network manager at National Highways, Amy Fellows, said that freezing conditions bring so many hazards such as snow and ice, and therefore take every possible step to understand your journey in advance, allowing lots of extra time when travelling to prepare for the unexpected.
National Rail warned that the wintry weather could impact the train journeys all week, with ScotRail saying services on the Highland Mainline route would be delayed by around 30 minutes on Tuesday.
Northern Scotland is expected to see 20cm of snowfall, while other areas in the north facing rain and sleet.
The Met Office said that a “cold plunge of Arctic air” had moved south across the whole country over the past few days, making it 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year,.
In spite of temperatures plummeting, dry and sunny spells are still expected further south.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell, said that Tuesday could see a “persistent band of snow” over three to six hours across Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England and Wales.
He said that in the early hours of the morning they were looking at temperatures getting down to -12C in a few spots, Tuesday night possibly down to -15C, so certainly a very cold spell into Wednesday.
Andy Page, Met Office chief meteorologist said: “There will be widespread frost this week and we could see some fairly deep laying snow in parts of northern UK and strong winds could result in drifting or blizzard conditions at times. He said the snow and ice would be disruptive and could potentially impact travel plans, make driving dangerous and pavements slippery.
Forecasters say there is the potential for “some snow” in southern England during mid-week as a low-pressure system moves across northern France.
Deputy chief meteorologist Nick Silkstone said: “The track of this system still has some small but all-important uncertainties tied to its northern extent, and it has the potential to bring some snow to southern England.
It comes as the Government confirmed thousands of households in England and Wales are eligible for cold weather payments.
They are made to vulnerable people, which includes pensioners, to help them pay for heating when the temperature dips below freezing.
It goes to those living in areas where the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.
Payments will be made to homes across Cumbria, Oxfordshire, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Staffordshire and Powys in Wales.
