Flights cancelled and schools closed as new cold weather warnings issued across UK

New cold weather warnings have been issued across the UK after Arctic conditions brought snow, sleet and hail showers, causing flight cancellations, rail disruptions and school closures.

A number of warnings remain in effect on Monday after temperatures dropped to minus 10.9C at Shap in Cumbria overnight, and 52cm of snow was recorded by the Met Office in Banffshire in Scotland.

The whole of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England remain under yellow warnings for snow and ice, said the Met Office.

Additional warnings have been issued for the east of England and west of Wales, as well as Devon and Cornwall.

Amber cold weather health alerts for all regions of England are in place until Friday, the Met Office has said.

A yellow warning for ice is in place for Northern Ireland from 5pm on Monday until 10am on Tuesday, while a new snow and ice warning spans areas from just north of Glasgow down to northern England, running from midnight to 11am on Tuesday.

A further 2-5cm of snow is expected across many areas, with some locations – especially higher ground above 200 metres – potentially receiving an additional 10-15cm.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: “The UK will continue to experience a range of winter weather hazards through this week, with low temperatures as well as snow showers and the risk of ice for many.

“A number of severe weather warnings have been issued and these are likely to be updated through the week so do keep up to date with the forecast.”

Temperatures to drop below zero again overnight

Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing again overnight into Tuesday across much of the country, with the Met Office warning that areas with lying snow could see lows falling to around -12C.

Wintry showers are expected to continue on Tuesday, as a mix of rain, sleet and snow will move southeastwards across Scotland and Northern Ireland, then later into parts of Wales and England.

A further band of snow may hit central and northern Scotland later on Tuesday morning, lasting into the early evening, according to the Met Office.

Train services disrupted

National Rail has warned that train services in northern Scotland will face disruptions until the end of Tuesday.

Eurostar has advised passengers travelling between London and the Netherlands to delay their journeys on Monday, as services cannot run beyond Brussels due to severe weather in the Netherlands. A spokesperson said all trains departing from the Netherlands are unable to operate.

Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports because of the heavy snowfall.

The runway at Liverpool John Lennon Airport closed on Monday morning due to wintry conditions, causing some cancellations, but it has since reopened.

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Both City of Derry Airport and Belfast International Airport experienced a number of cancellations or delays.

There has been a 40% spike in AA call-outs compared to a typical Monday, AA said.

Additional hazards further into the week

Later in the week, the Met Office said strong winds and heavy rain could create further hazards across the UK.

Deputy chief meteorologist Mike Silverstone said: “While we’re confident an area of low pressure will move in from the west on Thursday and into Friday, the exact position of that low pressure is uncertain at this stage.”

He said the position is important as it will determine the type of severe weather different locations may experience.

“The most likely scenario at this stage is for low pressure to track near the south coast,” he added.

“As confidence increases in the track of the low pressure, so will the detail of the weather impacts, so it is important to stay up to date with the weather forecast through the week.”