UK weather latest: Dangerous ice warnings issued and more snow forecast as winter chill continues
Motorists warned about treacherous ice after chaotic scenes on roads across the country
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Your support makes all the difference.Hazardous ice and further flurries of snow are forecast as freezing weather maintains its grip on Britain.
Travellers were hit by long delays and schools closed on Friday as February began with the coldest night for seven years.
A coating of up to 14cm of snow caused havoc in the southwest, forcing motorists to abandon their cars and seek shelter as traffic stood still. Later in the day, RAF Odiham in Hampshire had recorded 19cm of snow.
There were long delays on the M3 westbound between junctions six and seven near Basingstoke due to snow and stranded vehicles, with tailbacks stretching to Farnborough. One lane later opened, Highways England said, but it urged travellers to delay their journeys or find alternative routes.
Most flights were cancelled from a snow-covered Bristol Airport, but normal service is expected to resume on Saturday. Flight disruption at airports in Cardiff and Bristol left queues of rugby fans facing a race to get to Paris ahead of the France vs Wales Six Nations opener.
London City airport closed its runway on Friday night “due to adverse weather” and “heavy snowfall,” leading to flights being diverted and cancelled.
Salt spreaders covered 80,000 miles of England’s motorways and major A roads through the night to keep traffic moving, Highways England said.
Thousands of schoolchildren enjoyed an extended weekend as hundreds of schools closed their doors on Friday.
More than half of Bristol’s schools were shuttered, along with 300 in Buckinghamshire and more than 150 in Cornwall. Scores were also closed across Oxfordshire.
More snow is forecast going into the weekend, and though it is unlikely to be as heavy, there is a danger of untreated, treacherous ice covering paths and roads, forecasters said.
The Met Office issued a fresh yellow warning for snow and ice covering large areas of the UK until noon on Saturday. The warning includes northern Scotland, most of Northern Ireland, the eastern coast of England and the west coast of Wales.
A separate warning for ice is in place for the southern counties until 11am. However, conditions will be largely bright and cold but a widespread hard frost and freezing fog are forecast for the early hours of Sunday.
On the rail network, passengers were urged to check before they travel in case the conditions impact routes, and some Eurostar services were cancelled.
Transport for London also advised passengers to check their service status before setting off.
The Met Office said a low of -15.4C was recorded just before midnight on Thursday at Braemar in the Scottish Highlands.
Had it fallen more than 0.2C lower it would have surpassed the low of -15.6C set in 2012.
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