UK snow - live updates: Weather latest as Arctic air blast after Storm Caroline causes hundreds of schools to close across Britain

Temperatures plunge as 500 homes in Scotland left without power overnight

Storm Caroline- Weather warnings issued across the UK

Parts of the UK woke up to snow on Friday morning as forecasters warned up to 20cm (8in) could fall in some regions.

Temperatures plunged across the UK as Storm Caroline brought winds of up to 90mph to northern Scotland and left an Arctic air flow in its wake.

About 8cm of snow had already fallen in Aviemore, in the Scottish Highlands, by dawn on Friday, while parts of Northern Ireland, Wales and areas to the west of the Pennines had also seen a covering.

Forecasters said snow was likely to become more widespread throughout the day, and a yellow weather warning was in place for ice and snow across much of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and parts of northern and western England.

Please allow a moment for the live blog to load.

Met Office meteorologist John West said: “We saw a fairly consistent stream of snow showers overnight, and there will be a constant feed throughout the day and into Friday.

“We could see some fairly significant accumulations. Broadly speaking we're looking at 2cm to 5cm, but in more exposed areas we could see 10cm to 20cm.

“It will also be bitterly cold, with highs of 2C or 3C outside those snow showers. But the wind chill is going to make it feel sub-zero.”

Key Points

• Areas of Britain wake to blanketing of snow on Friday morning
• Around 500 Scottish homes left with no power overnight
• Hundreds of schools across Britain have been forced to close

[8 December 2017 10:26 · Adam Withnall]

Good morning, and welcome to The Independent's live updates as Storm Caroline leaves behind snow, ice and travel chaos across parts of the UK.

[8 December 2017 10:27 · Adam Withnall]

[8 December 2017 10:35 · Adam Withnall]

Storm Caroline left around 500 homes in Shetland, Orkney and Caithness without power overnight. Repair teams were stood down for safety reasons due to high winds.

[8 December 2017 10:42 · Adam Withnall]

All schools in Orkney, Shetland, and the Isle of Man have been closed on Friday, while dozens more failed to open in Northern Ireland, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

[8 December 2017 11:05 · Adam Withnall]

Barra Best, a BBC weather forecaster in Belfast, has shared images of the snow in Northern Ireland.

[8 December 2017 11:18 · Adam Withnall]

Derbyshire County Council's Twitter account has posted an image of the A623 overnight.

[8 December 2017 11:48 · Adam Withnall]

Chester town centre this morning in the wake of Storm Caroline. 

[8 December 2017 11:51 · Adam Withnall]

Cold temperatures are likely to remain well into next week, with forecasters also warning that Sunday could see further heavy snow showers.

Another yellow weather warning for snow has been issued for central parts of the UK, which is in place from 4am on Sunday until just before midnight.

[8 December 2017 11:57 · Adam Withnall]

The Met Office has issued a Yellow severe weather warning for wind and snow showers. The forecaster is warning of potential "short term power loss".

[8 December 2017 12:06 · Adam Withnall]

The Met have provided a graphic showing how the blast of Arctic air has moved down from the north of Scotland into Wales and northern England.