Incredible picture from space shows Scotland covered in snow as temperatures plunge to -23C
Incredible pictures taken from a Nasa satellite show the extent of the cold weather to hit the UK, with snow visibly covering most of Scotland.
With no clouds to obscure the view, the image shows how the freezing temperatures covered the country in a thick white blanket.
The snow covering Scotland – and much of the rest of the UK – comes as the country experienced its coldest night in more than 25 years.
Temperatures dropped to -23.0C (-9.4F) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since 1995, the Met Office said.
Forecasters said the last time a temperature below -20C was recorded in the UK was 23 December 2010.
The snow and cold temperatures come following an “extreme freeze” – with more bad weather predicted in the coming days.
Scattered snow showers and some sunshine is forecast for large swathes of the UK over the rest of the day on Thursday.
Watch: Lowest temperature recorded in UK since 1995
Yellow weather warnings for areas where wintry weather could cause travel disruption were issued for the morning, covering the eastern half of Scotland and England, Devon, and south-west Wales.
As the snow clears towards the east, it could become “quite pleasant outside with the sunshine, although still bitterly cold” in western areas, according to Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir.
Cities such as Manchester and Carlisle may drop to -4C (24.8F) on Thursday, and York is expected to have lows of -6C (21.2F).
Nine flood warnings, where flooding is likely, and 88 flood alerts, indicating that flooding is possible, have also been issued for locations across England by the Environment Agency, but none were in place for the other UK nations on Wednesday night.
The forecast prompted responses from local councils in England, with residents warned to take “extra care” while the cold snap lasts.
Nasir said that on Friday and over the weekend the weather is expected to turn “quite hazardous” as “an area of cloud and rain” coupled with extremely cold air brings further risk of snow, and “perhaps even of freezing rain”.
The weather comes in the middle of the COVID vaccine rollout but the NHS said that, despite the tough conditions, many vaccination centres have remained open, and any missed appointments will be rescheduled.
Several councils in England, including Rugby Borough Council, and Southwark Council in London, were forced to briefly suspend waste collection services due to the weather conditions.
Thurrock Council in Essex said more than 100 workers, mostly from street cleaning and waste collection teams, were diverted from regular duties to help clear snow from footpaths and routes to medical centres.
Watch: Storm Darcy continues to cause disruption across parts of UK