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Snow and ice alerts in place after drivers are trapped Fresh snow brings school closures
(about 1 hour later)
Snow and ice is continuing to cause chaos in parts of the UK, with hundreds of drivers stuck overnight in Scotland. Thousands of schoolchildren are enjoying a day off, with fresh falls of heavy snow affecting parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
Temperatures plummeted to -13C in Edinburgh and -11C in Glasgow, as 150 pupils, parents and staff spent the night in a South Lanarkshire school. Some href="/news/uk-scotland-11934595" title="Hundreds of schools stay closed" >900 schools are shut in Scotland, where a third of councils closed all sites, along with href="/news/uk-northern-ireland-11933338" title="Weather closes over 500 schools" >650 in Northern Ireland and about href="/news/uk-england-cumbria-11934709" title="Heavy snow closes Cumbria schools" >70 in Cumbria.
The href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html?day=1" >Met Office is warning of heavy snow in Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands, Grampian and north-west England and icy roads across much of the UK. Temperatures remain sub-zero UK-wide, having hit -15C overnight in Scotland.
Some href="/news/uk-northern-ireland-11933338" title="Weather closes over 500 schools" >600 schools in Northern Ireland are shut, along with 900 in Scotland. The href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html?day=1" >Met Office is warning of icy roads across much of the UK. href="/news/uk-scotland-11924238" title="Police urge drivers not to travel" >Central Scotland police advise essential journeys only.
A third of all Scottish councils have opted to close all schools, while href="/news/uk-england-cumbria-11934709" title="Heavy snow closes Cumbria schools" >70 are also closed across Cumbria. Scotland's Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson has apologised after hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight, with the central belt particularly badly hit by snow.
Meanwhile, another day of travel disruption is expected: Meanwhile, 150 pupils, parents and staff were forced to href="/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-11932207" title="Pupils spend night inside school" >spend the night in a South Lanarkshire school.
Commuters have been enduring another day of travel disruption:
Many motorists were stuck overnight on the M8 after heavy snow caused severe disruption to the route that links Glasgow with Edinburgh.
Many drivers were stuck overnight on the M8 after heavy snow caused severe disruption to the route that links Glasgow with Edinburgh.
Traffic was also brought to a standstill on the M80, which runs through central Scotland, with drivers advised to stay with their vehicles.Traffic was also brought to a standstill on the M80, which runs through central Scotland, with drivers advised to stay with their vehicles.
Among them was Alan Towle, who set out on a journey from work that normally takes 45 minutes at 1500 GMT on Monday, only to arrive home nine hours later.Among them was Alan Towle, who set out on a journey from work that normally takes 45 minutes at 1500 GMT on Monday, only to arrive home nine hours later.
"It was pretty horrific... an absolute farce. There was no evidence of anyone official doing anything," he said."It was pretty horrific... an absolute farce. There was no evidence of anyone official doing anything," he said.
"Police should have been helping gritters and ploughs clear both lanes on the opposite carriage to get smaller vehicles moving.""Police should have been helping gritters and ploughs clear both lanes on the opposite carriage to get smaller vehicles moving."
'Inaccurate' forecasts Forecast query
However, Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson described his government's handling of the major travel disruption as a "first class response". Mr Stevenson told BBC Radio Scotland the authorities had been caught out by the severity of the weather yesterday but queried the advice given by the government's forecasters, which he said differed from that of other experts.
Mr Stevenson blamed inaccurate weather forecasts for the problems. "We prepared for one set of weather yesterday morning - we had weather greater than we were ready for."
"The police, the hospital services, our road operating companies, have all been pulling together to make sure that we get equipment to the right place," he said. He insisted staff had been making "quite heroic efforts", but added: "Today we're now facing temperatures so low that salt is no longer working on the network.
"We've brought snow ploughs and gritters down from further north in Scotland to supplement the usual equipment in the central belt. "We've actually seen snowploughs damaged by the solidity of the ice on the M8."
"So a great deal has been done in the face of really atrocious weather conditions."
The heavy snow across Scotland and Northern Ireland has cleared southwards and there are Met Office severe weather warnings for snow across parts of north-west England into Tuesday morning.The heavy snow across Scotland and Northern Ireland has cleared southwards and there are Met Office severe weather warnings for snow across parts of north-west England into Tuesday morning.
BBC weather forecaster Matt Taylor said ice would be a more widespread problem across the UK.BBC weather forecaster Matt Taylor said ice would be a more widespread problem across the UK.
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Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy

Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy
Temperature tab onlyTemperature tab only

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather
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