Temperatures across Britain have dropped to a bone-chilling -11C as multiple Met Office ice warnings come into effect.
The fresh warnings come after snowy weather shut schools and led to travel chaos in some parts of the country as the UK continues to battle a freezing cold snap.
Scotland is expected to bear the brunt of the freezing conditions, where some communities may endure lows of –10C to –11C.
According to the Met Office, the frigid temperature was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, with the mercury dipping below minus 7C across much of Scotland.
Temperatures were slightly milder in England and Wales, with lows of minus 6C at Trawsgoed in Ceredigion, Wales and minus 4C at Rostherne, Cheshire.
Multiple yellow ice warnings remain in force across Scotland, Northern Ireland, the South West and the East of England, raising fears of hazardous roads, widespread travel disruption and a heightened risk of slips and falls.
The North East is also on alert, with a fresh warning from midnight until midday on Friday, while East Anglia faces icy conditions until 11am.
Meanwhile, nearly 200 schools across Britain were closed yesterday.
Snowy conditions in Cullercoats, North Tyneside, yesterday. Temperatures across Britain have dropped to a bone-chilling -11C as multiple Met Office ice warnings come into effect
A person braves the the snow in Newcastle early on Thursday morning as the Met Office issues a yellow weather warning
Cold weather health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency remain in place until Saturday.
Forecaster Simon Partridge said the chill stemmed primarily from ‘a little ridge of high pressure moving across the UK overnight’, adding ‘the main difference between that and previous nights is the winds are a lot lighter’.
Mr Partridge said that much of the country will see frost in the morning but that later in the day there is expected to be widespread sunshine.
He said: ‘Friday is really the end of the really cold weather as things turn back to average by the time we get into the weekend.’
It comes after schools were forced to close, roads were disrupted and homes were left without power because of snow.
About 100 schools closed 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.
Meanwhile, Brits faced disruption as roads were closed and homes were left without power because of snow.
A car stuck on the A169 in Yorkshire is dug out of the snow. The cold snap has caused widespread travel disruption
Children on a snow day build an igloo in Aberdeenshire. The snowy conditions led to the closure of nearly 200 schools across the UK
Drivers in the North East and Yorkshire were hit hardest, with North Yorkshire Police urging motorists to avoid the A171 near Whitby after multiple vehicles became stranded in the snow.
Officers also closed the A169 between Whitby and Pickering amid whiteout conditions.
National Rail urged rail commuters to check their journeys before travelling during the snowy and icy weather.
Drifting conditions saw a spate of minor incidents across the north, with snow ploughs and gritters deployed to keep routes open as temperatures plummeted to below.
The Met Office has a spate of yellow ice warnings in place across the UK this morning, including north, east, south-east and south-west England, northern and south-eastern areas of Scotland and north and west Wales.
But the Arctic conditions are expected to be short-lived with temperatures across much of the country turning milder over the weekend.
A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘After a widespread frost overnight, the risk of snow diminishes as temperatures turn slightly milder. Many areas will be dry and fine with long spells of sunshine.’
