Heavy snow and freezing rain is expected to hit parts of England and Wales this weekend, with the Met Office warning that there could be severe turbulence in some areas.
The new, more severe warnings cover the north of England, the Midlands and much of Wales, and are in place from Saturday evening and throughout Sunday.
Temperatures were expected to be as low as -10C overnight in rural areas of Scotland and the bitter conditions created by the Arctic wind are expected to continue into next week.
The wintry conditions could lead to power cuts, vehicles stranded on roads, rail and air travel delayed or stopped and some rural communities cut off in the coming days, the Met Office warned.
Met Office weather warnings include:
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An amber warning for snow and freezing rain covers most of Wales and central England, including the midlands and the north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, from 18:00 on Saturday until midday on Sunday
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A snow warning covers most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District from 21:00 on Saturday until midnight on Sunday.
BBC Weather predicts that 20-40cm (7.8-15.7in) of snow could fall across northern England and southern Scotland from late Saturday into Monday.
Wales and northern and central England are expected to see the most persistent period of snow and freezing rain, with 3-7cm of snow likely and around 15-30cm on higher ground.
Later on Sunday, temperatures are expected to be milder in parts of the country, reaching 13C in London compared to Aberdeen where it could be just 2C.
People are being urged to check in on vulnerable people during the winter.
The UK Health Security Agency issues warnings when the temperature is likely to affect the well-being of people, especially those who are older or have health conditions.
NHS chiefs are warning about the number of people with hospital flu in England having risen sharply over Christmas.
The latest data shows there were 5,000 patients in hospital with the virus at the end of last week – almost 3.5 times higher than the same week in 2023.
Frozen fields on Romney Marsh in Kent (PA)
On Friday temperatures dropped across the UK.
In England, they fell to -7.5C in Shap, Cumbria, and -6.7C at Bournemouth Airport.
In Scotland, temperatures fell to -6.4C in Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway, while in Wales the lowest temperature was -5.1C in Usk, and Northern Ireland recorded -5.7C in Katesbridge .
The police are investigating anyway crash on Thursday night on the A1 near Grantham which resulted in the death of a seven-month-old boy associated with freezing weather.
Three mountain walkers had to be rescued overnight in the Red Moor in Scotland after they got into trouble with the wind and snow.
Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said the cold weather would bring the government's decision to cap winter fuel payments “in huge relief”, and said the charity had already been contacted by people “concerned about what to do to do”.
She urged older people to “do everything they can to stay warm” including risking spending more on their heating. Ms Abrahams said there was a “responsibility for energy companies” to was struggling to help him and that there may be support from local councils as well.
When asked about the cold weather, Health Secretary Wes Streeting pointed out that Chancellor Rachel Reeves had kept a winter fuel allowance for the “poorest pensioners” – those receiving pension credit. The cut aims to save £1.5bn a year.
The Department for Work and Pensions said some postcodes will be available cold weather paymentswhich entitles some households in postcodes with constant temperatures below 0C to pay £25.
This included some postcodes in Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, Redesdale in Northumberland, and Shap in Cumbria.
You can keep up with it BBC weather forecast online and on the application.
