UK weather forecast: Warnings in place as temperatures plummet to minus 10C

Weather warnings are in place across the country as temperatures are predicted to fall to minus 10C.

The Met Office said temperatures will drop further through the night with clear skies causing wet surfaces to “freeze quite readily”.

Temperatures are likely to drop to minus 4C in Central London and as low as minus 10C in Aberdeenshire.

A yellow warning for ice is in place for the southeast, central and north of England as well as for Scotland from Wednesday afternoon through to Thursday morning.

Throughout the day temperatures struggled to reach much above freezing. Central London saw its coldest day of the year as temperatures peaked at just 2.6C while Spadeadam in Cumbria was the coldest place during the day at minus 2.5C.

According to a Met Office spokesperson, snow and sleet showers are likely to continue throughout Wednesday, pushing “southwards across parts of Scotland and into northern and then central England and Wales”.

He added: “Sleet or snow falling on frozen surfaces is likely to form ice.”

There will be a milder end to the week but the cold weather is forecast to return next week.

The spokesperson said: “Saturday could be quite unsettled with potential for strong winds and rains. As we go through Sunday we will see a return to similar conditions that we have at the moment. It will be colder again and then with that brings the risk of wintry showers and overnight ice. It will quickly turn cold and showery again.”

The weather conditions disrupted travel across the country on Wednesday.

Greater Anglia Rail told passengers that trains would run with speed restrictions between London and Cambridge, while some services were likely to be cancelled, delayed by up to 15 minutes or revised.

Merseyrail said ice had prevented electricity from reaching the trains, which meant numerous services between Aintree and Ormskirk, Hooton and Ellesmere Port, and Hooton and Chester were cancelled.

In Buckinghamshire, several schools were closed because of the conditions.