Hundreds of schools have been shut and travel severely disrupted, after heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures across the UK.
Train services and flights have been cancelled, while road travel has been made impossible in parts of northern Scotland, as many people return to work and school following the Christmas break.
Amber warnings for heavy snow in northern Scotland were in place overnight, with less severe yellow warnings for snow and ice covering much of the rest of the UK.
NHS bosses warn the cold weather is likely to increase pressure on the health service, at what is often the busiest week of the year.
Hospitals are especially busy in early January, as more people pick up illnesses while socialising indoors over Christmas when there is also less community healthcare available.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has amber cold weather alerts for England running until Friday – warning that temperatures are likely to impact people’s health.
Met Office amber weather warnings were in place for snow across Shetland, Orkney and parts of northern mainland Scotland until the morning.
Heavy snowfall over recent days has resulted in more than 40cm reported in parts of Moray already.
Parts of Scotland have a yellow snow and ice warning in place until the end yesterday – with the potential for another five to 10cm of snow at low levels, and 20 to 30cm on high ground for much of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire areas, Orkney, Shetland, and Outer Hebridean Islands.
Meanwhile, yellow weather warnings for snow and ice cover west Wales, parts of south-west England and north-east England until 11.00 today.
Snowfall disrupted air, train and road traffic in the Netherlands yesterday, as hundreds of flights were cancelled and trains around Amsterdam came to a standstill.
Amsterdam Schiphol airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, cancelled almost 500 flights yesterday morning and was closed to incoming traffic until 1200 GMT due to the snow.
&uuid=(email))