Temperatures as low as -12C in England on 'coldest night of winter so far'

A new year's cold snap continues to bite in the UK, with temperatures dropping as low as -12.5C (9.5F) on what the Met Office called the "coldest night of the winter so far".

Two amber warnings for snow are in effect in Scotland throughout the day, as hundreds of schools in the north of the country stay closed over icy conditions. Meanwhile, widespread yellow warnings for snow and ice are also in effect across much of the UK, with those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland ending by mid-morning.

UK weather latest: New weather warnings issued Those waking up in London at 5am saw temperatures as low as -5C (23F), but the Met Office said the coldest conditions overnight were recorded as -12.5C in Marham, Norfolk It also said overnight lows of -11.2C (11.84F) were recorded in Dalwhinnie, in the Scottish Highlands. In a post on social media, the Met Office said: "Last night was the coldest night of the winter so far, making it a very cold and frosty start for most of us this morning." According to the Met Office's weather map at 5am, it observed temperatures at -9C (15.8F) in Charlwood in south England, -2C (28.4F) in Glasgow, 1C (33.8F) in Belfast, and -1C (30.2F) in St Athan, near Cardiff.

Check the latest weather forecast where you are Schools in Shetland, Orkney and Aberdeenshire will remain shut on Tuesday, as National Rail said train services in northern Scotland will be disrupted until the end of the day. Temperatures also dropped to -10.9C (12.38F) at Shap in Cumbria on Monday, which also saw 52cm of snow recorded by the Met Office in Banffshire, Scotland.

According to the AA, the start of the week saw a 40% spike in callouts compared to a typical Monday. It comes after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber cold health alerts across England until Friday.

Chance of snow forecast in south Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern has also said parts of the south may see some snow on higher ground on Thursday and Friday, depending on how an approaching Atlantic low-pressure system develops. In a video posted on the Met Office's X account, he said there is a 20% chance the system takes a northern route, which would bring widespread "disruptive" wind and rain to much of England and Wales.

The forecaster suggested there could possibly be more snow in northern England, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland later in the week. Read more from Sky News:Maduro says he is 'prisoner of war' - as Trump reactsGovernment plans new driving rule for over-70s However, Mr McGivern added there was a 30% chance that the front moves through northern France, bringing disruptive snow to southern counties in England, especially in higher areas.

The most likely outcome is wind and rain for southern parts of the UK, he said, with central England seeing the risk of disruption from snow..