Coldest early winter temperatures in 26 years recorded in Scotland

The mercury sank to -11.2C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, overnight into Tuesday. The last time -10.9C or lower was recorded on or before November 19 was in 1998.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice along the east coast of Scotland and England from Berwickshire to Suffolk from 6pm on Tuesday to midday on Wednesday.

There are also snow and ice warnings in place covering the north of Scotland until 10am on Wednesday, with the Met Office advising that vehicles could be stranded, power cuts may occur and rural areas could be cut off.

More than 200 schools were closed across the UK on Tuesday, as thousands of train passengers suffered disruption due to the weather.

The yellow warning for Scotland will remain in place until 10am on Wednesday.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said temperatures could drop to -12C in rural parts of Scotland and -7C in rural parts of Wales on Wednesday night.

Mr Dixon said: “We’ve had a fairly mild November so far. So it’ll feel like that first taste of winter for many with that snow and ice risk layered on top.”

He added: “The highest accumulations are likely over the mountains in Scotland, where over higher ground you could see around 20cm of snow through this week accumulating on the ground.

“They are not necessarily the most disruptive snowfalls, but it only takes a couple of centimetres on lower ground to cause some level of travel disruption.”

A Stagecoach bus in Aberdeenshire toppled onto its side with a passenger on board in icy conditions on Tuesday morning in the New Leeds area.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach North Scotland said: “We can confirm that one of our vehicles operating on service X67 has been involved in an incident at New Leeds this morning due to ice on the road. One passenger was on board, and there were no injuries.”

The Met Office said an Arctic “maritime airmass” already over northern Britain spread southwards into the rest of the UK on Tuesday, in wake of an Atlantic low clearing into north western Europe. 

Cold temperatures were expected to continue for the rest of the week, but temperatures are forecast to rise at the weekend.

The Met Office said: “Further snow accumulations are expected across the week, mostly by night at low levels, in northern Scotland and exposed parts elsewhere.”

The forecaster added: “As we head towards the end of the week, it looks like there will be an upswing in temperatures, with things turning milder, wetter, and possibly much windier for the weekend.”

The Alzheimer’s Society warned that cold weather could be “particularly challenging” for people with dementia.

“Colder temperatures can be difficult for a person with dementia to adjust to, and they may not always be able to communicate that they are cold – or they may not even recognise it themselves,” the charity said.

Another charity, Asthma + Lung UK, urged those with lung conditions to be “extra careful”. The charity warned cold weather could trigger potentially life-threatening asthma attacks or “flare-ups” for people with other lung conditions.