Britain is set to endure its coldest night in six years tonight as temperatures plunge to -15C with freezing winds blowing in from Scandinavia.
The government has advised people to stay out of the cold for long periods with snow forecast in northern England, Scotland and Wales.
The wintry conditions are expected to continue into the weekend and there are warnings that Britain could face unusually cold weather for the rest of the month.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said: ‘There are indications of quite a prolonged cold period.’
The weather also caused chaos for travellers with British Airways forced to cancel 70 short-haul flights to and from London’s Heathrow airport on Monday and a further 10 due to be stopped today.
The 02 Arena in Greenwich, London was barely visible behind snow fall during the Monday morning rush hour
Heathrow’s Terminal 5 (pictured) was left almost entirely empty after British Airways cancelled 70 short-haul flights on Monday
British Airways has left passengers stranded and out of pocket after cancelling 80 short-haul flights out of London Heathrow as the capital is set to be hit by a flurry of snow. Pictured: Terminal 5 at the airport on Monday
There was a wintry scene in Hastings, East Sussex on Monday morning after plunging overnight temperatures led to a thick blanket of snow
Snow is set to fall in almost every part of the country in the coming days, with this week predicted to be one of the coldest of the winter so far.
Between 1cm and 3cm of snow will fall widely and hilly areas could see up to 5cm, before the weather pushes into northern England and Wales.
Snow and ice warnings have been issued for swathes of the country over the next two days.
It comes after snow showers left between 1cm and 2cm in Kent and Essex on Monday and caused several crashes on the M20.
Residents in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester had to clear snow from their cars ahead of the Monday morning commute
Hardy dog walkers had to wrap up warm and brave the cold in the village of Plaxtol, Kent on Monday morning
Drivers have already suffered the consequences of poor weather conditions in Kent, with five multiple-vehicle collisions taking place between junction 8 and 9 of the M20 on Sunday night
Mr Burkhill said: ‘As we go through the next 24 to 48 hours, it’s going to stay cold, and we are going to see some snow and pretty much anywhere in the country could see something.’
He added: ‘Across a big chunk of Scotland and Northern Ireland, where we have had snow overnight, that’s likely to then lead to some ice in time for morning rush hour tomorrow.
‘Across northern parts of England and Wales we are likely to have some snow falling during morning rush hour, so that’s likely to cause some difficult driving conditions and there could also be some icy patches too.’
Another band of snow, sleet and rain would sweep across the country from Wednesday to Thursday and bring a ‘milder blip’ in the weather, Mr Burkill said.
But he added: ‘The cold weather is likely to return as we go towards the weekend.
A series of severe weather warnings have been put in place, with widespread ice and sleet until the following weekend, the Met Office said (pictured right: ice warnings for this morning)
‘Really much of February and perhaps even into March it is going to stay on the cold side, so temperatures generally below average, with further frosts and also the risk of rain, sleet and snow as well.’
British Airways earlier decided to stop services over ‘safety’ concerns with routes to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Milan, Dublin and Manchester all affected.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville was also caught up in the crisis, slamming British Airways as the ‘worst airline I’ve ever seen’.
Travellers have reacted furiously at the cancellations, with many left out of pocket or forced to rearrange their journeys.
On Twitter one fumed: ‘Paid extra to fly @british_airways instead of the (more convenient) flights on the budget airlines.
‘They then cancel my flight 24 hours before departure and don’t answer my calls. Finally get on a flight and they subsequently lose my bag. Exceptional performance BA!’
Another wrote: ‘Thanks @British_Airways and @kiwicom247 for ruining my weekend. BA cancelled flight from Lyon 24 hrs in advance for adverse weather. All other flights seemed fine. Enjoyed spending £400 to get Home.’
Neville added that he deems British Airways a ‘shambles’. The airline earlier decided to stop services over ‘safety’ concerns with routes to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Milan, Dublin and Manchester all effected
Manchester United legend Gary Neville was caught up in the chaos at Heathrow Airport, slamming British Airways as the ‘worst airline I’ve ever seen’
One passenger fumed: ‘@British_Airways joke that you’re Glasgow and Edinburgh fights were cancelled due to predicted snowfall. Bulls***. First and last time flying with BA.’
One ranted: ‘Flight cancelled tomorrow morning to Zagreb adverse weather conditions here or there?’
Another said: ‘Thank you British Airways – first time I choose to fly with you and I only find out from a colleague that you’ve cancelled our flight No text, email or anything to let me know! And you rebooked me without consulting me. #disappointed #britishairways’
Manchester United supporters were also caught up in the disruption, with some forced to find alternative arrangements as they travelled to Germany to take part in the 60th anniversary commemoration of the Munich air disaster.
One supporter wrote: ‘Mufc fans heading Manchester-Munich via Heathrow not got on BA flight this morning due to over booking their flight cancelled. Shocking treatment by BA.’
Another fan said: ‘Never fly BA ever again. Cancelled 2 flights less than 16 hours before take off cost £424 to rebook.’