Cold conditions will continue over the weekend after parts of the country saw dramatic snowfall and the South West of England was hit by heavy rain.
Friday brought dramatic ‘thundersnow’ to some parts of Scotland, and other parts of the UK woke up to wintry scenes.
Areas as far south as Kent and Essex experienced a good dusting, with drivers stranded in Chelmsford after flash flooding.
West Yorkshire, Bradford and Leeds were among the northern areas to see a large amount of snow. The snowfall followed the coldest night of the winter so far, with -9.6C (15F) in the Scottish Highlands. The region also saw up to eight inches of snow fall overnight in some places.
Elsewhere, heavy rain hit parts of the South West and southern Wales on Saturday morning.
A yellow weather warning was in place from the early hours, covering Marlborough, Salisbury, Southampton and parts of Winchester.
The yellow warning indicates a risk of flooding to some homes and businesses, while public transport services may be disrupted.
The Environment Agency said 11 flood warnings were in place in England including in Swanage, Dorset, due to heavy rainfall.
Cold conditions will continue over the weekend after parts of the country saw dramatic snowfall and the South West of England was hit by heavy rain. Pictured: Snowy scenes on Saturday morning in Teesdale, County Durham
Friday brought dramatic ‘thundersnow’ to some parts of Scotland, and other parts of the UK woke up to wintry scenes. Pictured: The Dent Head viaduct in Sedbergh, Cumbria, on Saturday
A yellow weather warning is also in place for rain in parts of north-east Scotland covering Inverness and Aberdeen, where up to 40mm was previously forecast to fall.
Steven Keates, an operational meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘The wettest place in the last 24 hours has been Drumnadrochit on the shores of Loch Ness, that place has seen 48.6mm of rain.’
Forecasters said Saturday will be cold and cloudy, with eastern areas seeing showers later with the chance of light snow on hilltops.
Mr Keates said: ‘In summary, it’s a bit messy this weekend. It’s staying cold, gradually becoming a bit drier and we’ll switch our attention to some overnight frost, and I think tomorrow morning will see some dense freezing fog patches in places.’
According to the Met Office, temperatures will stay in single digits on Saturday, reporting figures of 39.2F (4C) in Birmingham and 46.4F (8C) in Plymouth in the morning.
Thursday into Friday was the coldest night of the winter so far, with the mercury dropping to minus 9.6C (14.7F) at Altnaharra, Sutherland, in the Highlands.
Friday’s snowfall was likely ‘the most widespread snow of the season so far,’ Mr Keates said.
Conditions coming into the weekend were warmer, as overnight temperatures remained around freezing with minus 1.6C (29.12F) recorded in East Malling, Kent.
The coldest night of 2020 so far was minus 10.2C (13.6F), recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on February 13.
At Leasowe, on the Wirral, in the West Midlands, people took part this morning in Age UK’s festive fancy dress charity dip on Saturday morning
The Environment Agency in Essex and surrounding area has 15 Flood Alerts in force after heavy rain and thawing snow yesterday. Pictured: The scene on Saturday in Ingatestone, Essex
There was also flooding at a tram station in Edinburgh after heavy rainfall overnight
West Yorkshire, Bradford and Leeds were among the northern areas to see a large amount of snow. The snowfall followed the coldest night of the winter so far, with -9.6C (15F) in the Scottish Highlands. The region also saw up to eight inches of snow fall overnight in some places. Pictured: A man descends Pen y Fan as snow falls on the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales
People take part in an Age UK festive fancy dress charity dip in the sea at Leasowe on the Wirral, in the West Midlands, on Saturday
Forecasters said Saturday will be cold and cloudy, with eastern areas seeing showers later with the chance of light snow on hilltops. Pictured: Pen y Fan in Wales
There were also wintry scenes in Powys, Wales, as evidenced by this snap of a car being driven through heavy snow
Walkers on Pen y Fan had to descend the highest peak in South Wales in somewhat wintry conditions on Saturday
Snow was also pictured falling in this garden in Llanveynoe in Herefordshire this morning
A spectacular coloured sky as the day breaks over the countryside in Dunsden Green, Oxfordshire, this morning
The Met Office previously warned icy conditions are likely to persist at least until Tuesday.
It earlier published a five-day forecast on its website which warned of unsettled weather with ‘cold rain, sleet and some strong winds’.
Fog is due to last into Monday, with unsettled weather and rain pushing into eastern areas.
Donal Considine, a forecaster for Meteogroup, said: ‘There was some rain and snow across Dartmoor and Exmoor. We have seen snow in the Midlands and some unexpected widespread snow for Essex and Leeds.
‘After a chilly night we are going to have a much brighter and dry day with patchy cloud cover and some patchy showers for the south west of England and the north east.
‘It will be less chilly and windy by Sunday which will see lingering foggy patches of weather. It will be a calm day and quite cool with some showery outbreaks for central and north east England.
‘The fog will stay for many parts, especially the south east. Monday is looking to be quite similar as it will be mostly dry and calm but with lingering patches of fog.’
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said after a wet and cold day across the UK: ‘There will be further rain at times tonight with sleet or wet snow still possible over hills’.
Swimmers in Leasowe were at their most charitable as they went for the wintry swim on Saturday
Some swimmers wore wet suits to guard against the freezing cold water, while others braved the conditions without any protective gear
One man dressed up as Father Christmas and had a real flowing grey beard to match his outfit
Another woman appeared to dress up as a Christmas tree as she was seen in a green tunic with tinsel wrapped around it
This swimmer appeared to have dressed as a Christmas pudding as she braved the icy waters
Yesterday, commuters fumed at news that no trains can run between Lewes and Eastbourne due to heavy flooding on the line at Polegate.
Services were not expected to resume till early afternoon as long as there was no more downpours.
Surprised people living in Essex as well as nearby Kent and Suffolk got out of their beds to find polar landscapes out of their windows as the sun rose of their counties.
And many in Edinburgh were already gazing at the icy sights, after being roused from their sleep to loud bangs of as so-called ‘Thundersnow’ in the Scottish city.
The sounds of ‘explosions’ are a rare weather phenomenon, caused by thunder and lightning combined with snow.
It was the coldest night of autumn/winter so far, with -9.6C (14.72F) recorded at Altnaharra, Sutherland, in the Highlands, according to the Met Office.
The Queensferry Crossing was closed to vehicles in both directions due to the weather, including falling ice and snow, while in the North East police warned of dangerous driving conditions on the A93 and the B993.
Cars pass through a flooded road near Ashford, Kent, following overnight rain and snow
A woman walks along the platform of the railway station as snow falls in the village of Marsden, near Manchester
A snowplough clears heavy overnight snow in Carrshield in the Pennines, near Hexham in Northumberland
West Lothian Dipper John Keogh brave the cold snow waters of Harperrig Reservoir in West Lothian, Scotland
Snow also fell on the Brecon Beacons in Wales on Saturday. Pictured: A man walking down from Pen y Fan, the highest peak in South Wales
A small snowman was seen waving the Union Jack outside a closed pub in Grantham, Lincolnshire
A man walks alongside Brun Clough Reservoir in snowy and foggy conditions above the village of Delph, near Manchester
Snow-covered homes are illuminated at dusk in the village of Marsden, near Manchester
Snow fell heavily in the North Pennines, creating postcard like scenes at Killhope Mining Museum in County Durham
A woman protects her dog against the wind as she walks through the snow Penyfan, in the Brecon Beacons
A car drives through heavy snowfall near Kirklees, West Yorkshire, with more expected in the area
A dog walker braves the torrential snow coming down at Woolsthorpe Locke, Woolsthorpe, Leicestershire
A snow covered field, except a tiny patch of green under a tree, near Ashford in Kent following overnight rain and snow
Residents of Great Gonerby, in Lincolnshire, clear snow from their driveways and pathways as winter weather hits
A man works in snowy conditions adjacent to Redbrook Reservoir above the village of Marsden, near Manchester
A dog writhes in the snow near Brun Clough Reservoir as snow falls above the village of Delph, near Manchester
A train passes through Ashford in Kent following overnight rain and snow, which has battered most of the country
A paperboy battling through the Snow in Colchester, Essex, after the unexpected overnight flurry of snow in the county
One motorist clears heavy overnight snow from a car in Carrshield in the Pennines, near Hexham in Northumberland
Rail passengers were also affected, with ScotRail warning of ‘significant disruption to services on multiple routes’ due to heavy snow.
Police Scotland Control Rooms said it had received a number of calls from people who were concerned after they heard explosions and strange noises.
Police Scotland Control Rooms tweeted on Friday at about 5am: ‘Please do not be alarmed, we are currently experiencing thunder and lightning.’
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern described early Friday as being that ‘awkward mixture of cold rain, sleet and falling snow’ for many areas of Britain.
The Met Office said the cold spell is expected to last through to Friday but that the weekend would see brighter weather and even some sunshine.
It added that temperatures going into next week would be lower than the average annual temperature, which is usually about 7C (44.6F) to 9C (48.2F).
** Have you taken photos of the snow in Britain today? Please email them to: [email protected] **
Dog walkers negotiate overnight snow in Carrshield in the Pennines, near Hexham in Northumberland after the overnight fall
Snow settles in the hills on the outskirts of Bradford, West Yorks, as motorists avoid the roads in the treacherous conditions
A driver digs his car out of snow in Bathgate, West Lothian, after getting stuck in the white stuff as he tried to travel