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UK weather forecast: Met Office issues severe ice warning as freezing temperatures drop below -10C

The Met Office has warned of more snow and icy conditions across Britain, with falling temperatures set to make it the chilliest day of the week.

A “yellow” severe weather warning for ice is in place across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the west coast of Scotland until 11am today.

Motorists have been advised to be extra careful on the roads, and there is a risk of slipping on pavements and cycle paths.

Police in North Yorkshire warned of “incredibly bad driving conditions” in the region overnight.

The wintry conditions are expected to cause some disruption to rush-hour rail services, with Merseyrail warning of delays and cancellations, and Greater Anglia Rail advising customers of speed restrictions.

Wednesday is expected to be the coldest day of the week, with northern parts of the country waking up to temperatures of -2C. In Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the overnight temperature dropped to -10.2C.

Temperatures will climb to only 3C or 4C across much of the country this afternoon. While coastal regions can expect more snow and sleet showers throughout the day, most of the inland snow will be restricted to hilly areas. Eastern parts of the country will see some sunshine.

Aidan McGivern, Met Office meteorologist, said Wednesday would see “widely frosty conditions (and) icy patches, so watch out for slippery roads and pavements.”

He added: “It’s a mixture of sunny spells for eastern areas and showers for western areas. Temperatures will languish in the mid-single figures.”

Tuesday’s hail, snow and sleet showers caused significant travel disruption in large parts of the country. Police Scotland said wintry conditions had caused 125 crashes throughout the day.

There were a series of flight cancellations and delays at airports in Manchester, Belfast and Stornoway because of the icy conditions.

The M40 saw severe delays as snow covered the southeast on Tuesday afternoon, while the B974 in Aberdeenshire was shut after several vehicles got stuck in the snow.

Forecasters warned the freezing temperatures and icy conditions will prevail again early Thursday morning.

Temperatures are set to climb slightly towards the end of the week, reducing the likelihood of frost, ice and snow for a few days before another cold snap arrives next week.

Tony Wardle, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Our latest forecast shows signs of a change to less cold weather from Friday due to a westerly wind pattern, rather than colder north easterly winds as previous forecasts suggested.

“Beyond this briefly less cold spell, it looks like temperatures will once again take a downward turn with the chance of snow, ice and frosts returning next week.”