The coldest night of the year is on the way

There are less than five days left in 2017 – but we might be facing the coldest night of the year as temperatures continue to plummet.

Arctic air hovering across the UK will cause temperatures to drop on Thursday night, with freezing calms of below minus 13C (8.6F) expected in parts of Scotland.

Snow could also be on the way too, after a yellow warning was issued for the East Midlands and the north of England – although this could be extended.

The Met Office has also warned that 10cm of snow could fall, with central areas of England set to be affected.

‘The coldest temperature we have seen this year is minus 13C in Scotland, and we are likely to see temperatures slightly below that’, forecaster Nicola Maxey said.

‘But we are not talking about those extremes in the town and city centres, it is out in rural areas, more exposed areas, particularly over lying snow where you see temperatures drop the most.’

The warning comes after temperatures fell to as low as minus 4.5C (24F) in County Down, Northern Ireland, while most parts of the UK hovered around OC.

Road warners have also been warned of treacherous conditions on untreated roads.

The RAC has also confirmed the ice resulted in an ‘incredibly busy’ morning, and as a result of the conditions dealt with a number of battery failures, minor bumps and shunts, and skidding.