UK weather: Temperatures plunge to -15.2C as wintry conditions continue

Temperatures plunged to -15.2C on Friday night as parts of the UK were hit by heavy snow.

Yellow weather warnings remain in place for ice and snow in much of Scotland, with ice warnings for Northern Ireland, inland parts of Wales, and the east and north of England.

The coldest place on Friday was the Scottish hamlet of Altnaharra, which recorded -15.2C (4.6F), while Helen’s Bay in Northern Ireland had the top temperature of 8.2C (46.7F).

Met Office meteorologist Matthew Box said rain, sleet and snow will move northeastwards across the country over the weekend, likely falling on the hills and mountains of the Pennines, the Cumbrian vales and some parts of Scotland.

But the amount of snow would not be anything like what was seen on Thursday, he added.

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In parts of southwest England and Wales, however, the cold weather is likely to give way to sunnier conditions on Sunday.

It comes after travel chaos on Friday, which saw problems on the roads, railways, and at airports.

On the railways, fallen trees blocked lines between Manchester and Sheffield.

There were delays to flights at Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Bristol Airport, while flights at Birmingham Airport were suspended for around an hour so snow could be cleared from the runway.

East Midlands Airport also closed its runway for around three hours.

Drivers on the M62 in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire were among those stranded due to the heavy snow, with National Highways saying that congestion on the eastbound carriageway between Rochdale and Saddleworth was around eight miles long at one point.

Eight people also had to be rescued by emergency services after they were trapped in heavy snow for more than 12 hours in Staffordshire.

Andrew Page-Dove, of National Highways, warned that driving conditions were expected to deteriorate, with the risk of freezing rain and more snow on Saturday.

RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said the situation on the M62 was “the perfect reminder of why it’s so important to carry a warm blanket, a winter coat, extra layers, food and drink and a power bank and phone-charging cable”.