UK weather forecast: Schools stay shut as Britain braces for more snow and ice today

Schools across the UK are staying shut for a second consecutive day as Britain braces for more snow and ice.

Thousands of classrooms closed yesterday with some children told to work remotely as an Arctic freeze engulfed Britain. 

On Tuesday, hundreds of schools stayed closed or opted for later start times to ensure children and staff could safely make their way in during daylight hours.

On the roads and railways, there was further travel chaos as snow and ice impeded drivers and the first day of this month’s rail strikes by RMT members compounded the problems suffered on the train network as a result of the weather.  

More misery is to come, with the Met Office issuing a yellow snow and ice warning covering northern Scotland and north-east England from midnight on Tuesday until noon on Thursday.

There was significant traffic on the M25 in Essex this morning as rail strikes commence and freezing temperatures persist

A snow covered field near Castleton in the Peak District. Snow and ice have swept across parts of the UK, with cold wintry conditions set to continue for days

There is also an ice warning covering much of the South East, including London and Brighton until 11am on Tuesday.

Braemer, in Aberdeenshire, was the coldest place in the UK, recording a low of minus 17C and a high of minus 9.3C, the lowest minimum temperature since February 2021 and the lowest maximum in 12 years.

The five next coldest temperatures all recorded in Scotland, including minus 13.1C at Balmoral.

‘It’s the most devastating day of our lives’: Family’s tribute to hero Jack, 10, who ‘died trying to save three boys he didn’t know’ after they fell into frozen lake – as vigil marks tragedy in Solihull 

The family a 10-year-old boy who died trying to save three others who had fallen through ice into a lake on Sunday said they were ‘devastated’ by his passing.

The boy, named locally as Jack Johnson, ‘ran and tried to save’ the other children – whom he did not know and who are all believed to be from one family – his aunt Charlotte McIlmurray wrote on Facebook.

Family of Jack Johnson (pictured here) say he jumped into the lake to try and rescue someone who had fallen through the ice

Mourners light candles next to floral and written tributes to the three boys who tragically died in the incident in Babbs Mill Park on Sunday

‘My nephew seen one go through the ice and he ran and tried to save them. We are just broken over it and to find out he died trying to save three lads he didn’t even know, that just sums him up, he was amazing.’

McIlmurray described the loss of Jack and the other boys as a ‘nightmare that two families can’t wake from’, adding that ‘the pain is unimaginable’ but said it would be ‘a million times worse’ for the other family.

‘It has been the most devastating day in our family’s life,’ another relative who wished to remain anonymous told The Telegraph.

The heartbroken community of Solihull gathered at Babbs Mill Park on Monday evening to pay tribute to the young boys. 

Dozens of people, including lots of children, placed bunches of flowers, balloons and candles at the base of a tree in the park near Birmingham. 

The Met Office provisionally recorded the coldest night and day of the year on Monday. 

In the Shetland islands, off the Scottish coast, around 2,700 homes were left without power overnight on Monday after snow and ice stuck to overhead lines, causing damage. 

Energy firm SSEN aimed to restore power by 11am this morning. 

And all but one school in Shetland is closed today after yesterday’s heavy snow. UHI Shetland’s Lerwick and Scalloway college campuses are also closed. 

A spokesperson for SSEN Distribution said: ‘We’d like to apologise to all customers impacted and reassure them that we are doing all we can to restore power in challenging conditions.

‘Our engineers will continue to reconnect supplies into the evening, remotely rerouting the network wherever possible, but remain hampered by blocked roads, communications issues and ongoing adverse weather.’

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said there will be more heavy snow in some places again on Tuesday.

‘Coming into force at midnight tonight all the way through to lunchtime on Thursday, (there is a) large snow and ice warning covering the North East of England, the whole sort of northern portion of Scotland, as well as the Highlands and Islands,’ he said.

He said there could be ‘as much as 15 to 20 centimetres of snow accumulating over high ground’.

Mr Claydon said northern Scotland could record even colder temperatures on Tuesday after breaking the record for the coldest night of the year on Monday.

‘In terms of temperature, we could see another very cold night, especially in parts of Scotland where we’ve got that lying snow,’ he said.

‘We saw minus 15C last night. We could see similar or potentially even colder tonight under clear skies with that snowfall lying in some places.

‘So a very cold night there but also broadly very cold across the whole of the UK, with widespread freezing conditions.’

On the River Tyne in Hexham, Northumberland, stunning ice pancakes were spotted by paddleboarders Paul Sundin and Tim Frater. 

Father-of-two Mr Sundin said: ‘I’ve never seen anything like them before, they were completely covering the river on one side.

‘They were like floating frozen pizzas. When you picked them up they fell apart but they were amazing to see up close.’

Last night, hundreds of people braved freezing temperatures to attend a candlelit vigil for the three children who died after falling through ice into a frozen lake in Solihull, the West Midlands.

Floral tributes, balloons, soft toys and lighted candles were left by mourners at a vigil held in Kingshurst, near Birmingham, on Monday.

Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11, who fell through the ice into Babbs Mill lake, died, while a fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

West Midlands Police said nobody else had been reported missing despite initial reports up to six people could have fallen into the water. 

The snow, ice and fog also caused another day of travel chaos.  

Drivers are being urged to avoid the roads where possible – as slushy snow turns to ice – creating potentially ‘lethal’ conditions.

Many local roads will be worse before they get better as a result of bitter weather predicted over the next few days.

The AA has experienced a 135 per cent surge in the number of people calling for advice after a crash over the weekend compared with the same time last year, The Times reports.

The Met Office has issued a yellow snow and ice warning covering northern Scotland and north-east England from midnight on Tuesday until noon on Thursday. There is also an ice warning covering much of the South East, including London and Brighton until 11am on Tuesday

Snow stays put along snake road in the Peak District as cold temperatures continue in England today

The snowy scenes in the Peak District (above) have been echoed elsewhere around the country

Snow and ice blanket Marine park on the coast at South Shields in the North East today 

Snow and ice are seen covering Marine park on the coast at South Shields in the North East today

Rod Dennis from the RAC said their teams were ‘exceptionally busy’ on Monday, helping more than 7,500 motorists with breakdowns.

He added that this was 50 per cent more than what they would see on a typical Monday in December. 

Councils are reported to be using agency drivers to operate snow ploughs and ice gritters due to a national shortage of HGV drivers.

The Local Government Association reports that 1.4million tonnes of salt are being stored by local authorities ready to for roads this winter.

In Hertfordshire, the M25 came to a screeching halt after heavy snow led to cars being stranded and HGVs to jack-knife. 

Up to 25 gritters were at work on the M25 at any one time on Sunday night according to National Highways, spreading 960 tonnes of salt and over 180,000 litres of antifreeze on the road surface.

Other affected routes were the M11, M2, M20, A21 and A249.

Heathrow Airport cancelled over 300 flights on Sunday night, while easyJet said it was doing ‘all possible to minimise disruption for our customers’.

The coming days will see a spate of strikes in the rail industry from RMT and other unions, with fears it will push commuters to use dangerous roads.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘We’re expecting hazardous road conditions to continue into Tuesday following a major refreeze overnight. Those who have to use more rural roads that haven’t been gritted will need to exercise great care, delay or even abandon their plans.’

Huge disks of ice were spotted floating on the River Tyne in Hexham, Northumberland, when temperatures dropped below freezing

Brave paddleboarders Paul Sundin (pictured) and Tim Frater came across dozens of the frisbee-shaped icicles on Monday

A snow covered field near Castleton in the Peak District this morning, as the cold weather continues

The BBC has been accused of letting middle-aged Strictly Come Dancing fans freeze in -3C temperatures after scores of people were seen camping out overnight for seats

A Southeastern train makes its way through Ashford in Kent as rail services remain disrupted in the icy weather

Leo, eight, slides down a hill in the snow as the cold weather continue in Hertford on Monday

Eight year old Isaac was wrapped up warm as he played in the snow n Hertford on Monday

The Met Office has a number of snow, ice and fog warnings in place for Tuesday

A damaged car with used airbags is left abandoned above Eastbourne after heavy snow

A Southeastern train makes its way through Ashford in Kent as rail services remain disrupted in the icy weather

December’s ‘Calendar of Chaos’ with strikes happening across several sectors 

Royal Mail staff, nurses, paramedics, rail workers and Border Force officials will all stage walkouts over jobs, pay and conditions this month as Brits prepare for mayhem over Christmas. 

December is being described as the ‘new winter of discontent’ – with bus workers, baggage handlers, environment agency staff and paramedics also taking action. 

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Dowden called on unions to call off the ‘damaging’ strikes.

But the government is being urged to listen to workers’ demands, negotiate with unions and come to an agreement that will pause the disruption. 

South East Coast Ambulance Service tweeted yesterday: ‘Please take extra care on the roads today. 

‘As more ice forms, we’re likely to see a number of avoidable traffic collisions.’