Tonight, January 10, the Met Office has predicted that parts of the UK could reach a whopping -20C. In Altnaharra, a hamlet in Sutherland, the most northern region of the Highlands, overnight temperatures dropped to -14.5C overnight into Friday, the coldest night of the winter so far in the UK.

The Met Office has issued a fresh eight-hour weather warning as the UK reels from heavy snowfall after what was expected to be the coldest night of winter so far. A new yellow warning covers large swathes of southwest England and south to mid Wales for ice, which came into place at 3am this morning and will remain until 11am.

National Rail is also warning travellers to check their journeys in light of the Met Office yellow warnings for snow and ice still in place.

The cold snap gripping the UK is predicted to continue with Friday night set to be the chilliest night of the winter.

As snow, sleet and ice continue to affect much of the country, the Met Office is urging people to stay safe in the cold weather and to take precautions when heading outdoors. If you are going outside for a walk you should follow a "thin clothing" rule and wear several layers of light clothes, rather than one thick layer.

“In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK. This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.”

The Met Office has forecast more snow to hit parts of southern England by noon today, with a yellow weather warning for snow in effect until 11.59pm. This alert spans most of Southwest England, Southeast England, and some areas of Greater London.

A yellow weather warning for ice has been issued by the Met Office. The warning is in place for parts of Suffolk and Norfolk and comes into force from 16:00 GMT until 10:00 on Friday. The Met Office said scattered wintery showers could lead to some icy patches on untreated surfaces.

The Met Office has issued new weather warnings for parts of the UK, with yellow warnings for ice and snow in place until Friday morning. The two new warnings cover parts of Northern Ireland and Wales as well as areas in north-west England and the east of England - they come after an existing warning for snow and ice in parts of northern Scotland.

The mercury could reach minus 20C in some parts of the UK on Friday night, the Met Office has said, with weather warnings for ice in place across the UK