Snow warnings as Arctic air predicted to bring coldest night of year

Sub-zero temperatures could bring the coldest night of the year to Britain, as warnings are issued that more disruption-causing snow is on its way.

Arctic air hovering across the UK will cause the mercury to plummet on Thursday night, with temperatures below minus 4C in Northern Ireland.

Heavy snow is also predicted to fall on Friday, with the Met Office issuing a yellow warning in anticipation of the white stuff.

It's in place from midnight tonight through until 9:00am tomorrow:

A Met Office statement said: "A spell of snow, along with the risk of rain falling on frozen surfaces leading to ice, is likely across parts of Northern Ireland during Friday morning. Some roads and railways are likely to be affected leading to longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Some delays to air travel are also possible. Some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces are possible."

The Met Office said temperatures fell to as low as minus 4.5C (24F) in Katesbridge, Co Down, in the early hours of Thursday while most parts of the UK hovered around 0C (32F).

Meanwhile the AA described England's roads on Thursday as "appalling'' due to the "dicey icy roads''.

On Wednesday there were stories of disruption, cancellations and delays at the country's travel terminals due to the weather, with Stansted temporarily closing its runway twice due to ice.

As a result, 27 inbound and 27 outbound flights were cancelled at Stansted, while around 50 flights were cancelled at Luton.

Some 300 passengers were left in the terminal at Stansted waiting to rebook flights on Wednesday evening after dozens of Ryanair services were cancelled, along with a number of easyJet flights.

On Thursday, Stansted said all flights were anticipated to operate as scheduled, although passengers were reminded to check their flight's status before travelling to the airport.

And at Luton Airport, a spokesman said the travel hub was busy because there were a few more passengers left over from the disruption caused by the weather on Wednesday.

It does look like there are a few delays to some flights, but we are open, operational - nothing out of the ordinary,'' he said, adding that passengers should still check with their airlines.

On Wednesday snowfall caused widespread disruption, with a lorry crash on the M1 resulting in the closure of the southbound carriageway, a jackknifed HGV on the M5 in Gloucestershire, and severe conditions on the A14 near Kettering.

Homes were left without power, and in Scotland three climbers had to be rescued from the Cairngorms mountain range after getting lost in blizzard conditions