Snow has arrived in parts of Scotland and Northern England as forecasters warn the Arctic blast heading Britain's way will transform flooded fields into ice rinks when temperatures are sent plummeting next week.
Flood-hit counties Cumbria and Aberdeenshire were among the areas coated in the white stuff yesterday, with blizzards wreaking havoc for motorists on the A939 towards Strathdon in Scotland.
There was more flooding in Glasgow, while in other parts of the country high winds left hundreds of homes without power as severe weather continued to blast areas north of the border.
The Met Office has now issued yellow 'be aware' warnings for possible snow and icy conditions in Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland overnight into today. An amber 'be prepared' alert is also in place for Grampian and Central, Tayside and Fife regions in Scotland.
Winter is here: Snow has arrived in parts of Northern England and Scotland, including Aberdeenshire, where Abigail Bender, eight, who is on holiday from Western Australia, was pictured shielding herself from the blizzard as she tried to go sledging at The Lecht Ski Centre
Poor visibility: A car was seen struggling through a blizzard on the A939 at The Lecht Ski Centre, Aberdeenshire, as wintry weather arrived
There was a covering of snow in the South Tyne Valley, Cumbria, yesterday, heralding a change in weather from the mild winter so far
A sign was completely hidden under snow during a blizzard at The Lecht Ski Centre in Aberdeenshire as colder air arrived from Scandinavia
Wrapping up warm: The arrival of heavy snow meant many, including this young girl, had a struggle to walk through it at the ski centre
Out of action: A ski lift stands out against a white background during a blizzard at The Lecht Ski Centre, Aberdeenshire (pictured)
There are 38 flood warnings still in place across England and Wales, according to the Environment Agency, with at least one in every region.
From next week forecasters say a cold blast from the North Pole is expected to move south and bring with it a sudden drop in temperatures across Britain.
It will signal drier weather, offering a brief respite to flood-hit residents in northern England and Scotland, but snow is likely to compound their misery.
Much of the UK is also likely to be blanketed with a widespread frost, potentially turning swathes of flood-blighted fields into ice rinks, forecasters say.
On Wednesday night more than 500 Scottish families had to deal with no electricity in the Hatton of Fintray area of the countryside, near the airport on the outskirts of Aberdeen.
Engineers worked throughout the night to restore power to homes after gale force winds battered power lines across the north-east of Scotland.
The power went down shortly after midnight after winds of up to 45mph hit the region but was fixed shortly before 5am.
A SSE Scottish Hydro spokesman said: 'It was bad weather affecting some of our equipment.
Chilly outlook: Arctic air is set to sweep across Britain but the snow had already arrived in the South Tyne Valley, Cumbria, yesterday
Blanketed in white: One hiker was seen traversing a hill in the snow-covered South Tyne Valley in Cumbria as snow hit the county
Snow gates are closed on the A939 near The Lecht Ski Centre and an amber 'be aware' weather warning has been issued by the Met Office
Frantic effort: A farmer made desperate attempts to save his sheep from drowning as water floods swamped his fields in Lampeter, Wales. Forecasters have warned that the Arctic blast heading Britain's way will transform flooded fields, like this one pictured, into ice rinks
Rescue: The sheep were spotted dashing through the floodwater (left) as the farmer tried to herd them to safety with his tractor (right)
Pretty: This sunset was pictured on Tuesday while a photographer flew over London after taking off from Stapleford Aerodrome in Essex
'Our apologies to customers who experienced any problems and any inconvenience during the night as a result of this power cut.'
Several schools were also affected by the weather. Glenbervie School in Drumlithie, near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, was closed due to 'adverse' weather conditions with water coming through the roof of the building.
Classrooms at the rural school ended up flooded overnight.
Culter Primary School and Nursery was also closed down because the heating system had failed. School staff were waiting for the problem to be fixed by engineers.
Other schools faced problems with transport with many buses struggling to get access to streets across the north-east due to flooded routes.
Aberdeenshire Council organised a Stagecoach bus to pick up pupils from Ballater to take them to schools at nearby Crathie and the high school in Aboyne.
Braving the elements: One commuter was spotted trying to hold on to her umbrella in London Bridge as heavy rain hit the capital
Soaked: A couple were drenched by the rain in London (left), which led many commuters to wrap up as warm as possible to stay dry (right)
Commuters near London Bridge sheltered themselves with buckling umbrellas, including one woman who struggled to keep her phone dry
Look out! A London bus driver navigates a large puddle in the capital as one commuter shields himself from the splash yesterday morning
Forecasters say a North Pole cold blast (shown in purple) is expected to move south next week and send UK temperatures plummeting. It is pictured moving towards Britain on Wednesday (left) and into Friday (right) and could bring widespread frost and snowfall in some parts
The Arctic jet stream (shown in dark blue and purple) is forecast to move south next week, bringing with it icy temperatures across Britain
Parents were advised to dress their children for the weather and make sure they wore appropriate footwear for walking on muddy streets.
Inverurie Academy was also affected with school buses unable to reach houses in the Keithhall and Fintray areas. School transport was cancelled in the Kintore School area.
Meanwhile, a floating accommodation vessel was still adrift in the North Sea after its towline broke during stormy weather on Sunday.
The Prosafe Safe Bristolia ended up in difficulty 120km off the coast of Montrose as it was being towed from the Cromarty Firth to Gdansk in Poland.
Thirty-three workers remain on board the semi-submersible vessel.
A Prosafe spokeswoman said: 'The position of the Safe Bristolia position remains unchanged. The vessel has held position for the last 60 hours, and there are two Anchor Handling Vessels in attendance.
'We are still waiting for a break in the weather before re-establishing the main tow.
'Prosafe continues to work closely with the coastguard.'
The Duke of York joined North Yorkshire County Council's Andrew Wood to assess a damaged bridge over the River Wharfe in Tadcaster
Motorists were forced to navigate flooded roods in Milngavie, near Glasgow, as heavy rain fell again with weather warnings still in place
A number of weather warnings have been issued across Scotland, where flooding was seen in Glasgow (pictured), including one for snow
Forecasters said more bad weather was expected to continue, with temperatures plummeting over the next few days.
Met Office spokeswoman Emma Sharples said: 'The rain will persist through the night time across Aberdeenshire, not really easing until tomorrow [Friday]. It's going to be a wet day.
'Once that rain clears out the way it will be a little bit brighter and more showery. There is hill snow associated with this rain fall at about 400 metres but as we go through the night we may see that lowering.'
In Yorkshire, the Duke of York paid a visit to sodden communities and said he was 'saddened' to see the damage caused to the bridge at Tadcaster.
Prince Andrew stood by the River Wharf as he surveyed the remnants of the town’s bridge, which dramatically collapsed on December 29.
Asked for his reaction, he said: 'Saddened to see such a wonderful old bridge in a damaged state.
'But, what encourages me is that there is a plan - first of all for a footbridge, then to support the structure and then to get on and recover the stonework that’s underneath and get back to building it.
'But it’s going to take some time.'
Scrapheap: A month on from Storm Desmond, flood-ruined fridges and freezers were seen stockpiled for recycling at Carlisle Rugby Club
Contractors are also working to repair the water damage to thousands of homes and businesses in Carlisle following last month's floods
Calm before the storm: A magnificent sunset was seen behind Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, where temperatures are set to drop next week
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