UK weather: Fresh weather warning for snow and ice in place …
A new amber warning for frequent snow showers is in place for the North West of England, as temperatures across the UK plummeted below freezing.
The alert, which runs until midnight, means travel delays and power cuts are likely and rural communities could become cut off.
It covers the coastal area to the west of Carlisle, taking in Keswick and Whitehaven.
Check the five-day forecast for your area
It falls within a wider area already covered by a yellow warning for snow and ice stretching from Lancaster to the Scottish coast south of Dumfries, which remains in place until Sunday morning.
A separate warning issued by the Met Office, covering much of the Midlands, Yorkshire and North and central Wales, runs from Saturday evening through until Sunday lunchtime.
Another warning of ice, stretching from East Anglia to South Wales and from Northamptonshire down to Kent, is in place from midnight to 8am on Sunday.
Forecasters have warned wintry conditions across the UK were likely to see icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths posing the risk of injury from slips and falls.
They also warned travellers faced longer journey times.
North Wales Police said on Saturday afternoon the A470 was closed between Llechwedd, Blaenau Ffestiniog, towards the Crimea Pass due to the weather conditions and told drivers to avoid the area.
Earlier, Glasgow Airport was forced to suspend flights for a time on Saturday morning due to heavy snow, but later reopened its runway, although passengers were still advised to contact their airlines.
The Environment Agency in the UK has urged people to take care near rivers, canals, lakes and ponds, while the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service also issued safety advice.
There was disruption to trains in the west of Scotland, with signalling affected by snow.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said many towns and cities will see temperatures hover around -4C (25F) on Saturday.
After temperatures dropped to -11C (14F) in the Highlands overnight, the freeze is expected to continue over the weekend, with several sporting events cancelled due to snow and icy conditions. See below for more details.
Amber cold health alerts are also in place for five regions: the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber until 5 December.
This means the impact of the cold weather is “likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time”.
Munich airport has also cancelled all flights until at least noon because of heavy snow, according to a statement on its website.
Around 320 of 760 flights planned for Saturday had been scratched so far, it said.
Trains in and out of the Bavarian city’s central train station have also been cancelled.
Which sporting fixtures have been postponed because of the weather this weekend?
Football
:: FA Cup
Crewe v Bristol Rovers
:: National League
Altrincham v Dorking Wanderers
Southend v Wealdstone
:: Scottish Premiership
Livingston v Ross County
Scottish Championship
Ayr United v Arbroath
Dunfermline Athletic v Queen’s Park
Greenock Morton v Dundee United
:: Scottish League One
Alloa Athletic v Annan Athletic
Falkirk v Cove Rangers
Kelty Hearts v Edinburgh City
Stirling Albion v Montrose
:: Scottish League Two
Elgin City v Clyde
:: Germany – Bundesliga
Bayern Munich v Union Berlin
Horse racing
Newcastle
(c) Sky News 2023: UK weather: Fresh amber warning for heavy snow as several sports fixtures abandoned[1]