UK shivers through what could be coldest night of year so far - with big change to weather forecast imminent

The UK has shivered through what could be the coldest night of the year so far - with seven yellow weather warnings for ice in force this morning.

Met Office forecasters had predicted temperatures could fall to lows of -12C (10F) in parts of Scotland early on Friday, with -7C (19F) possible across England and Wales.

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Frosty conditions are expected this morning, but this should be followed by widespread sunshine as the current cold snap reaches its climax.

"The main reason for that is we've got a little ridge of high pressure moving across the UK overnight - and basically the main difference between that and previous nights is the winds are a lot lighter," meteorologist Simon Partridge explained.

Mr Partridge added: "Friday is really the end of the really cold weather as things turn back to average by the time we get into the weekend."

Hundreds of schools were forced to close yesterday because of the wintry weather - with challenging conditions on the roads and some schools left without power.

Yellow weather warnings for ice covering large swathes of England, Wales and Scotland are expected to expire by lunchtime.

Forecasters say showers could fall as rain, sleet or small hail at low levels - and up to 3cm of snow is possible on higher ground.

Commuters are being advised to allow at least an extra five minutes for their journey because icy patches could form on the roads.

Meanwhile, pedestrians are being urged to stick to pavements along main roads - with cyclists told to use main roads themselves - because they may be less slippery.

Some NHS trusts are also encouraging the public to walk like a penguin because it can reduce the risk of nasty trips on icy surfaces.

Laura Halcrow from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "It might look funny, but waddling really works. A slip on ice can cause painful injuries and even hospital stays, especially for older people."

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Gritters have been out in force to treat roads in the hardest-hit areas, especially in North Yorkshire.

Until now, Wednesday into Thursday had been the coldest night of the year so far - with a biting -6.6C (20F) recorded in Oxfordshire.

Amber health alerts covering the North East and North West of England, with a yellow alert across the rest of the country, will expire at 8am tomorrow.

While it will be turning milder as the weekend approaches, this will be accompanied by wet and windy conditions, as well as potentially heavy rain tomorrow.

"The British weather, fickle as always, looks like delivering a brief change to this milder westerly flow followed by an equally quick change back to a chilly northerly flow," Sky's weather presenter Jo Wheeler said.

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