© naTraffic comes to standstill in heavy snow on M8 near Harthill services in Scotland
Almost every corner of the UK woke up to between 2cm and 10cm of snow this morning, with the East Coast worst hit by flurries and sub-zero temperatures.
The freezing conditions that have paralysed much of Scotland and the North East spread overnight to the Midlands before moving on towards the South East and London.
Severe weather warnings of heavy snowfall and widespread road ice have been issued by the Met Office across almost every part of the UK.
All airports are currently open but some flights are being delayed or cancelled. Gatwick, Luton and London City Airports have reported cancellations.
Train services all over the country have been badly affected by the severe weather, with some services not operating and others badly delayed.
The Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) said 73% of trains were arriving at their destination on time as at 5pm
An Atoc spokesman said: "Train companies have been working flat-out to get as many trains running as possible through the severe weather today, and the number of services arriving on time has slowly but surely gone up through the course of the afternoon.
Bitter easterly winds are continuing to bring Arctic conditions and forecasters warned there is little chance of an early reprieve.
Sky News meteorologist Christopher England said: "There'll be more snow in the East and across parts of middle Britain tonight, and a widespread sharp frost will bring icy stretches to the roads and pavements.
"Wednesday will be drier in the south, but there'll be more snow in the North East, with some spreading to north-west England as well.
"Kent will see more snow late in the day, and there'll a particularly raw wind in the South East."
Temperatures in Moray, Kinloss, Scotland, plunged to -13C overnight and during the day the highest temperature recorded there was minus 2C.
The warmest temperature recorded was 2.8C in Anglesey, North Wales, while Cromer in Norfolk saw the mercury rise to 2.5C.
The relentless snowfall meant hundreds of schools in Scotland were closed. More than 40 in Cornwall were shut, 60 in Derbyshire, 70 in Nottinghamshire, and 100 in Kent.
The AA said London was the worst area affected today, with more breakdowns than any other part of the UK.
There was a "hotspot" of activity on the M25 between junctions 2 and 5 due to falling snow freezing on the carriageways.
AA spokesman Paul Leather said: "Today has been another busy day and there's more to come this evening as temperatures drop, with ice causing big problems across the entire country.
"If you are driving on icy roads, try to minimise the use of brakes to reduce the risk of sliding - keep your speed down, stay in a higher gear to aid traction, anticipate hazards, and keep well apart from other vehicles."
A man was killed in Ruskington Fen, Lincs, yesterday when his Land Rover left the road in icy conditions and ended up in a ditch.
Although investigations continue, officers suspect icy road conditions could have played a part in the incident.
Insurer RSA estimated that the freezing weather conditions could cost the UK economy up to £1.2bn a day.
RSA director David Greaves said: "Bad weather in the run-up to Christmas will have a major impact on the UK's economy and could lead to significant losses for already struggling businesses.
"If we lose just one fifth of our daily GDP through companies not being able to open and people cancelling spending plans on events and shopping, we're looking at about £1.2bn every working day."
The current early spell of winter is due to an area of high pressure to the west of the UK, which is blocking our usual autumn weather pattern and instead pulling in cold air from the north.
Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson added: "Snow showers will continue for several days, but it is not just the snow people need to be aware of, it is the icy conditions too."
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