Overview
- Met Office elevates parts of northern and eastern Scotland to amber from noon Friday to noon Saturday, forecasting heavy snow, blizzard conditions and up to 40cm on high ground.
- Yellow snow and ice warnings cover large areas of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with snow settling in cities including London and Greater Manchester and widespread icy surfaces.
- Travel disruption includes road closures and crashes reported around the M60, M56 and M602, with forecasters cautioning about delays, cancellations and a risk of power cuts.
- The UK Health Security Agency issues amber cold‑health alerts across England until 10am on 9 January, warning of increased deaths among older and vulnerable people and pressure on care services.
- Forecasters expect wintry hazards to persist into next week with further warnings likely, while in Pakistan rain and mountain snowfall have intensified the cold with more snow forecast in hill districts within 24 hours.