Danger: Thames Valley police have closed this road in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, when it was ruled too dangerous to drive on following a spate of accidents earlier this morning
Crash: Forecaster warned last night to expect dangerous conditions on the road thanks to a coating of snow and ice across the country
Snow
has hit much of the country this morning causing accidents and
breakdowns on the roads as Britain was warned to brace itself for arctic
gales bringing five days of sub-zero weather and temperatures dropping
to -11C.
London
has had its first significant snowfall of the year as flurries moved in
across the South East overnight with forecasters predicting a new band
of freezing cold air will blow in from central Europe on Friday.
There
are yellow warnings of snow and ice in place for eastern counties, the
far west of Wales and Cornwall as well as Scotland, Yorkshire and the
East Midlands, which will remain in place until around midday tomorrow.
Parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland were hit by more snow.
Stranded: A car is left abandoned along a snowy lane in Buckinghamshire this morning as police closed Bishopstone Road due to a high number of accidents around the rush hour
Abandoned: This snow-covered Vauxhall was left embedded in a hedge after the driver slid off the road in Buckinghamshire this morning
Slow and steady: An emergency vehicle makes its way across snowy roads on the moor between Pickering and Whitby, North Yorkshire
Closed: Roads running through Richmond Park in central London were also closed today after the capital got its first dusting overnight
There were five miles of tailbacks along the A34 after two vehicles collided on the slippery roads and were then hit by another two vehicles and a lorry. There were no reports on how many people had been injured this morning, or how seriously.
The clockwise M25 in Hertfordshire was also blocked after a smash in the early hours, and police were warning of 'huge queues' along the M42 at junction 10 near Tamworth after another crash.
In Reading, Berkshire, solid queues snaked back through the town centre for miles, with dejected motorists reporting journey times taking three times longer than usual.
One commuter said it took him more than 90 minutes to cover five miles across the town as roads became snarled up under the weight of the traffic.
Others reported heavy queues in nearby Basingstoke, Hampshire., while traffic crawled to a halt on the busy A34 dual carriageway.
There was misery too for commuters on the busy M3, with traffic queuing along the slipway at Junction 4 for Camberley, Surrey, after an accident took place on the exit roundabout in the snowy conditions.
Snowy: London had its first significant snowfall of winter this morning, but it is expected to peter out giving way to light rain and then clear skies as the mercury plunges again overnight, bringing negative temperatures to most of the country
Taking the plunge: A very brave swimmer takes a dip in the waters of the Serpentine, London, as snow fell across the capital this morning
Wake-up call: More swimmers grit their teeth as they take a dip in the Serpentine Lido, in London's Hyde Park, early this morning
Taking a dip: One man is pictured swimming in the Serpentine where temperatures this morning only reached 3C
Treacherous: A pedestrian picks their way carefully across the snowy pavement in Orpington this morning as Met Office forecasters warned of treacherous conditions on the roads
Easy does it: Two cars edge around each other on the snowy roads in Kent as delays were reported along the M25, A34, and M6 due to accidents closing several lanes
Nippy: England experienced its coldest night this winter last night with Shap in Cumbria getting down to -9.1C. Forecasters warned that it could get even colder tonight (pictured, a man makes his way to work in Wimbledon, London)
Elsewhere in the county the Hindhead tunnel on the A3 was completely blocked up with traffic caused by the heavy snowfall, with police putting a diversion in place in a bid to avoid accidents.
The AA said it rescued 38 vehicles stuck in snow or ice this morning, while it attended another 5,000 breakdowns, roughly 20 every hour, mostly across the South and London.
Darron Burness, head of the AA’s severe weather team, sid: 'By 9am, we had rescued more cars stuck in snow and ice than for the whole of yesterday. While the snow appears to have caught quite a few people off-guard, there really is no excuse for being ill-prepared.
'It’s often too easy to blame the forecasters and local authorities – they can be between a rock and a hard place – but drivers need to take responsibility.
'On the whole, the gritters were out in force last night and it was mostly local roads that caused problems. As well as the usual bumps and scrapes this morning, our patrols report some people recklessly speeding and tailgating on icy roads, which is simply asking for trouble. Gentle manoeuvres are the key to safe driving on snow and ice.
'Driving conditions will be pretty hazardous this evening as the snow compacts and refreezes, so keep your speed down and take particular care on untreated side roads. Also watch out for pedestrians walking on the road to avoid icy pavements.'
A MetDesk radar image showing snow (red), sleet (green) and rain (blue) falling over London and the south east from midnight until 11am
Prowling: A deer in Richmond Park stalks through snow-covered ferns this morning after London was coated with the first snow this winter
Keeping warm: There are around 630 Red and Fallow deer roaming free across Richmond Park, where they have lived since 1529 (pictured, a group huddled together for warmth underneath a tree)
Proud: A male red deer pictured in Richmond Park this morning. The deer will only keep their antlers for a few weeks more before shedding them and regrowing them next winter
RAC spokesman Simon Williams added: 'Our patrols are dealing with 20% more call-outs than normal in Cumbria, Newcastle, Leeds, York and Hull as motorists struggle with treacherous conditions brought about by lying snow freezing overnight.
'Widespread snow in London and the South East has given motorists a first real taste of winter. Nationally, we saw 75% more battery problems brought about by the cold overnight temperatures yesterday, a 46% rise in frozen handbrakes as well as a 30% increase in keys locked in vehicles, perhaps a result of drivers de-icing windows and leaving the keys inside – never a good start to the day.'
Transport for London, which is responsible for gritting a 'red route' of roads around London carrying a third of all traffic, said up to 40 vehicles had been out twice overnight, applying 300 tonnes of salt to the roads.
Schools, including Crondall Primary School in Surrey and Oakwood Infant School in Hampshire, were also forced to close this morning as teachers struggled to get to work, and parents were unable to get their children there on time.
Trains were cancelled between Sittingbourne and Sheerness, in Kent, after the heavy snowfall swelled river levels and flooded a railway bridge.
Snow at Lord's: This was the scene on the outfield of the home of cricket early today as London got a covering of snow overnight
Freezing: London woke up to its first significant snow fall this winter today as flakes coated the ground around the House of Parliament. Forecasters have warned of arctic winds bringing freezing temperatures for the rest of the week
Cold: The Met Office said by Friday temperatures could plunge to around 2C in the south east, but with strong winds coming in from central Europe, the temperature would feel more like -4C
Getting colder: The jet stream will move to the south of the UK tomorrow, sucking down air from the arctic and North Pole sending temperatures sliding, while strong winds from Europe will arrive on Friday
Snow has hit this morning as Britain, including Kingston upon Thames, pictured, was warned to brace itself for Siberian gales bringing five days of sub-zero weather and temperatures dropping to -11C
Prediction: The Met Office said parts of the UK, in Kingston left and Battersea, right, would awake to a thin carpet of snow today, with sub-zero temperatures expected for some of the country overnight.
It was the coldest night this winter for England, with temperatures plunging to -9.1C in Shap, Cumbria, while the Met Office warned that more freezing air could see temperatures drop even lower tonight.
The village of Dalwhinnie in the Highlands endured -11C, and it was just a few degrees warmer in Katesbridge Co Down where the mercury plummeted to -8C (17.6F).
Age UK warned of a spate of deaths in the coming weeks as the elderly suffer in the cold snap, with an extra 3,000 fatalities expected this week alone.
One person over 65 dies every seven minutes in winter. Cold weather deaths are expected to top 40,000 this year, the highest since 2000.
Simon Partridge, a forecaster for the Met Office, said: 'Effectively through the rest of today we have rain, sleet and snow across Scotland which will die out as it reaches northern England, it's not going to get much further south than Northern Ireland. There will be around five centimeters on higher ground, with two centimeters falling elsewhere.
'The rest of the country is looking at some wintery showers down the east coast which will fall as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, especially over higher ground, but there are no real accumulations expected.
'Most other places will be dry with bright spells, maximum temperatures in the south and south east of 6C, with 4-5C expected in the rest of the country. In Scotland it will struggle to get into positive temperatures across higher or more exposed ground.
'It will be another cold night with wintery showers continuing down the east coast, as a result there will be a weather warning for snow and ice with between five and ten centimeters expected over higher ground.
The Met Office said the jet stream (pictured as areas of green and red) which controls much of our weather will move to the south of the UK on Wednesday, sucking freezing air down from the arctic and North Pole
Siberian gales: This weather map shows a band of high-altitude cold air (blue area) expected to sweep across the UK this week from Russia
A UK weather map showing snow in red, sleet in green, and rain in blue. The red markers pinpoint where social media users have contacted Netweather to report snow in their area
'It will be largely below freezing overnight for most of the country. Last night it got down to -9.1C in Shap, Cumbria, which was the coldest night of winter so far for England. We could see the same again tonight, or possibly even colder.
'Through into Wednesday there will be a change in the way the weather is developing. There will be an area of high pressure which will dampen down most of the showers except in the east.
'Similar conditions through Thursday and into Friday with high pressure in the north bringing easterly winds into the south which could pick up through Thursday and into Friday.
'It will get very cold with areas of the Kent coast struggling to reach above 2C, while in London it will only get to 4C. With windchill factored in this will likely feel more like -4C.
Covered: A rail passenger waits for the train at Earlsfield Station, in south west London, as the capital saw its first snow of the winter
Frozen: Londoners were told to expect sleet showers for the rest of the morning, but by the afternoon it will be largely dry
More to come: The east coast is likely to see snow through the rest of the week and into the weekend, while across the south east and London temperature will drop to near freezing even during the day
On their way: People brave the wintery weather this morning in London as they make their way to work from Earlsfield station
'There is a risk of wintery showers and further snow for the east and south east, though details about where this will fall are a bit unclear.
Higher ground in the North York Moors and Lincolnshire Wolds could see up to 3.9ins (10cm) of snow tomorrow, according to the Met Office, with a yellow 'be aware' warning remaining in place throughout the day.
Meteorologist, Mark Wilson, added: 'The weather will quieten down after Wednesday and be drier, but it will stay cold.'
Forecaster Brian Gaze of The Weather Outlook said: 'Bitterly cold easterly air is due from the continent, with large area of high pressure drawing in some very cold air from Russia, blocking milder westerly Atlantic systems and making the UK cold.'
Have you taken pictures of the wintery weather today? Share them with us: mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk
The big chill: Residents in West London woke to snow on the ground this morning as flurries moved in across the South East overnight
Freeze: Parts of the capital were under a blanket of snow with forecasters predicting a new band of freezing cold air from northern Russia will reach the country by Thursday
Arctic blast: Heavy downfalls of snow are shown here in the Ealing area of West London overnight
YOUR pictures: MailOnline readers send in their images of snowy scenes across the country
From a picturesque sunset in Teesdale last night, to a snow-covered path on Wimbledon Common this morning, MailOnline readers have been sending us their snaps of the wintery weather.
Mother-of-two Emma Davies sent in one image of her children Alexander and Paige enjoying an unusual ride to school this morning on a sled in Buckinghamshire, while Sarah Chisholm sent in an image of her daughter Grace with a snowman in their garden in Essex.
Today marked the first significant snowfall of the year for much of the UK, with flurries coating the ground as far south as central London.
Have you taken pictures of the wintery weather today? Share them with us: mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk
Postcard perfect: This image of Wimbledon Common coated with snow was taken this morning by Mail Online reader Sarah Rooke
Snow day: Sarah Chisholm sent in this image of her daughter Grace, 9 (left), with a miniature snowman she made in their garden in Romford, Essex, while Emma Davies gave her two children Alexander and Paige a ride to school on a sled in Weston Turville, Buckinghamshire
Sunset: As the sun went down in Barnard Castle, Cumbria, yesterday evening this was the stunning image captured by Samantha Rickaby
Sunrise: Ms Rickaby was up again early this morning, this time to photograph the sunrise over Eggleston in County Durham
The celebrity snow day: How the London Twitterati reacted to the blanket of snow
While most people were struggling to work this morning, battling through traffic jams and train delays, it seems not everyone was subjected to the transport chaos.
Fashion designer Gok Wan, BBC Radio 1 presenter Edith Bowman and singer Frankie Bridge all took to Twitter where they uploaded snow scenes from their back gardens.
There was at least a light dusting of snow for much of the UK this morning after temperatures plunged overnight, and forecasters are warning of sub-zero conditions for the next five days.
Today's snow will be largely gone by the afternoon as rain and clear skies move in instead, but there is a yellow warning out for much of the east coast tomorrow and Friday as another four inches is expected across higher ground.
Winter wonderland: Designer Gok Wan shared this snap of a snowy garden with his Twitter followers, while warning people to wrap up warm - presumably in a rather stylish scarf
Snowy scene: BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman was also on social media this morning, busy sharing this snap with her followers
Day off: Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge posted this image along with the caption 'Snow Day' as schools across the country closed their gates as parents struggled to get to work
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