Homes were left without power, roads were closed, cars stranded, and flights and train services disrupted on Saturday as heavy snow and freezing rain hit much of the UK.
The National Grid said on Saturday night that power was cut to properties across the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales, including Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and that work was under way to get services restored.
The Met Office had issued a slew of weather warnings as the weekend approached along with forecasts for up to 30cm of snow.
Bristol airport said on Saturday evening that it had suspended operations for a few hours due to “challenging weather” but that it had now reopened, adding that its teams were “working hard on snow clearing”.
Police in Wiltshire said the weather was “causing chaos”, Cumbria police said it had received calls about a multi-vehicle collision in the Lake District, while Avon and Somerset police warned of significant disruption on roads in parts of Somerset.
Among the roads closed were the A303 in Wiltshire between the A338 Cholderton and A345 Amesbury in both directions, the A628 Woodhead Pass, which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District, was closed in both directions between the A616 Hollingworth and the A57 Flouch, all because of snow.
National Highways said on Saturday that there had been a “number of collisions” on the M5 between J21 at Weston-super-Mare and J25 at Taunton.
On the rail network, Great Western Railway was among the operators affected, with severe weather in the Dawlish area disrupting trains on the line between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth.
An amber warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and the north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, came into effect at 6pm on Saturday and lasts until midday on Sunday, the Met Office said.
The second warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, started at 9pm on Saturday and will remain in place until midnight on Sunday.
Both of the warning areas could expect to see 3cm to 7cm of snowfall widely, while snow may mix with rain at times in lower-lying areas, the forecaster said.
Overnight on Friday, the lowest temperature was seen in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, where -8.6C was recorded.
A yellow warning for snow and ice until midnight on Sunday was issued for much of England and Wales not covered by the amber warnings and there was a yellow warning for snow and ice covering much of Northern Ireland until 6pm on Sunday and a warning for ice in the north of Scotland until 10am on Sunday. A yellow warning was also in place for rain covering much of Wales and the West Midlands on Sunday from 6am until 9pm.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said some “significant accumulations” of snow were possible in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, and the additional factor of strengthening winds could lead to drifting of lying snow.
He continued: “There is a risk of freezing rain across parts of the Midlands and northern England, but especially Wales, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places.
“As the super-cooled rain droplets hit the surface they instantly freeze, covering everything in a layer of ice, making it extremely dangerous.”
The UK Health Security Agency cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.
Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until 8 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Councils across London and southern England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help rough sleepers stay safe during the cold snap.
Further weather warnings could be issued for the start of next week, the Met Office said.
