Fresh weather warnings issued
The Met Office has issued fresh yellow weather warnings covering much of the UK.
A warning for snow and ice is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, for between 5pm on Monday until 10am on Tuesday.
The same warning is in place for western and northern parts of Scotland for between 4pm on Monday until midday on Tuesday, and in Northern Ireland between 3pm on Monday until 11am on Tuesday.
There is a separate warning for snow in southern England on Wednesday from 9am until 11.59pm.
Key events
Here are some of the latest images of the weather England today.
The RAC said Monday would be the busiest day of the winter so far for vehicle breakdowns because of severe weather.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Today will undoubtedly be the busiest of the winter so far and our patrols are working exceptionally hard rescuing thousands of our members in difficult conditions. Waiting times will be longer as a result.
“The impact of the weather, and the fact many people are using their vehicles for the first time after a festive break, means we’re expecting to be 80% busier than normal.
“At our peak today, we will be dealing with upwards of 20 new breakdowns every minute.
“We urge drivers who know their vehicles are slow to start to book in a mobile mechanic or reliable local garage as soon as possible as it may mean a new battery is required.
“Conditions are especially challenging due to heavy rain and snowmelt causing flooding across the country.”
As of 12.30pm, the Environment Agency had 173 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 315 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, active across England.
At the same time, National Resources Wales had two flood warnings and 22 flood alerts in place.
Fresh weather warnings issued
The Met Office has issued fresh yellow weather warnings covering much of the UK.
A warning for snow and ice is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, for between 5pm on Monday until 10am on Tuesday.
The same warning is in place for western and northern parts of Scotland for between 4pm on Monday until midday on Tuesday, and in Northern Ireland between 3pm on Monday until 11am on Tuesday.
There is a separate warning for snow in southern England on Wednesday from 9am until 11.59pm.
M5 reopens
The M5 has been reopened southbound between junction 11a at Gloucester and junction 12 at Quedgeley after it was closed this morning, but delays remain.
Several road and lane closures remain. National Highways has full details here.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has posted to social media this morning to say “We love to see it”, endorsing the efforts of some young people on Sunday afternoon who helped free a bus in Leeds that was stuck in snow.
Reporting on the incident this morning, the BBC adds the obligatory cautionary “don’t try this at home” note of “appropriate care should be taken in snow and around vehicles.”
National highways is still reporting closures of main roads in England due to weather disruption. Among the routes affected are:
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A52 closed in Nottinghamshire eastbound between A60 and A606 – flooding
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A66 in County Durham/Cumbria closed in both directions between A1M (J53) and M6 (J40) – snow
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A628 Woodhead Pass in both directions between A616 (Flouch) and A57 (Hollingworth) – flooding
In addition the M25 in Surrey is closed anti-clockwise between J9 (Leatherhead) and J8 (Reigate) after a lorry struck the central reservation and came to rest sideways across the carriageway.
National highways reports “the resurfacing operation has now commenced and the road is expected to remain closed until at least 3pm”.
Lisa O’Carroll
Lisa O’Carroll in Dublin
Almost 60,000 homes and businesses were without power and 40,000 without water in Ireland overnight as a status yellow snow and ice warning has been issued by Met Éireann for the entire country until midday on Tuesday.
Status yellow warnings for extreme cold, widespread ice and lying snow, will remain in place until midday on Thursday, the national weather centre said.
Eleven counties, mostly in the southern part of the country, remain under the more severe status orange warning.
Electricity supply authority, ESB Networks, said it was working hard to restore power but many would not be reconnected for several days due to the conditions.
Worst hit are Munster and parts of Leinster, with Cork and Kerry particularly hazardous.
Many schools have closed with snow blanketting parts of the country with temperatures expected to drop to -5C (23F) in some places overnight.
Health authorities have cancelled non-urgent appointments in some hospitals in Cork, south Tipperary, Kerry and Laois in the midlands.
Dublin and other countries not hit by snow remain in the grip of extreme cold with temperatures struggling to get above freezing during the day.
Kay Mulcaire in Adare, county Limerick told RTÉ there was 20cm of snow in the village with an overnight freeze expected to mean further deterioration in conditions.
Here are some of the latest pictures of the weather disruption in England sent to us over the news wires.
National Rail are advising that poor weather may affect services run by GWR, ScotRail and the TransPennine Express, and that travellers should check for delays before setting out.
In addition the National Rail website advises that these services are all currently subject to disruption in England and Wales:
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Buses replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog
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Buses replace trains between Hooton and Chester / Ellesmere Port
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Poor weather may affect Merseyrail services
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Poor weather may affect Northern services
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Disruption between Nottingham and Grantham
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Disruption between Peterborough and Leicester
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Disruption between Derby and East Midlands Parkway / Nottingham
The Met Office still has yellow weather warnings in place for snow and ice covering much of Scotland, most of Northern Ireland and Wales, and places in the north, west and south-west of England.
If you have been affected by the snow, ice and rain in the UK, our community team would like to hear from you. How has it affected your commute? They are also interested in any photos you have taken of the snowy weather. You can find out how to get in touch with them here.
Here is a picture of flooding in Yalding in Kent this morning. The Environment Agency in England currently has 167 flood warnings in place, where flooding is expected, and 312 flood alerts, where it says flooding is possible. You can check the flood warnings here.
A number of schools in north-east Scotland have been forced to close, PA Media reports.
More than 80 schools and nurseries across Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland council areas are shut due to snow and poor driving conditions on what would have been the first day back for pupils after the holidays.
Met Office chief forecaster Frank Saunders has said: “Cold conditions in Scotland will continue, with snow showers in many coastal areas, and more persistent snow for a time in the south east.”
The BBC has also reported that in England there are school closures in Bradford, Calderdale, Halifax, Kirkless, and Leeds.
Here are a couple of the latest pictures of the weather impact in England.
There is also significant weather disruption in Ireland, where the Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said 41,000 homes and businesses remained without power.
National Rail has warnings in place for travel disruption in the following places in England and Wales:
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Buses replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog
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Buses replace trains between Hooton and Chester / Ellesmere Port
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Poor weather may affect Merseyrail services
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Poor weather may affect Northern services
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Disruption between Nottingham and Grantham
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Disruption between Peterborough and Leicester
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Disruption between Derby and East Midlands Parkway / Nottingham
National Highways in England has warned that the A52 in Nottinghamshire is closed eastbound between A60 Ruddington and A606 Wheatcroft, due to flooding.
