By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 5:13 PM on 8th December 2010
- Scotland bringing in Army to clear snow from blanketed streets
- Icy roads ahead in UK with showers of snow, sleet and rain to fall
- Overnight lows of -15C in Scotland and -5C in England expected
- Experts say cold snap is 'once in a lifetime'
Britain faces another two weeks of the big freeze with freezing winds, snow and ice set to cause chaos on the roads and for Christmas deliveries.
Forecasters said drier conditions could be expected over the coming weekend but the return of north-easterly winds could bring another six inches of snow, with no suggestion of the severe weather easing off ahead before the Christmas period.
The gloomy forecast for the next fortnight came after heavy blizzards moved south overnight, with snow falling as far south as Ipswich in Suffolk.
Braving the bus stop: People wait amid the snow in Whitburn, Scotland
Frozen solid: The River Ouse in the centre of York was iced over for the first time in 50 years today
Temperatures plummeted to -15C in Scotland and forecasters warned of icy conditions ahead as snow, sleet and rain falls across the country.
Drivers across central Scotland were forced to abandon their vehicles yesterday after the worst wintry weather for several decades brought the country's busiest highways to a halt.
And with more snow expected north of the border the Scottish Government looked to bring the Army in to clear snow from Edinburgh's streets.
THREE DAY FORECAST
TODAY
NORTH - Sunny spells, snow in east Min -12c (10f) Max -1 (30f)
SOUTH - Sunshine, wintry showers Min -8 (-18f) Max 2 (36f)
TOMORROW
NORTH - Dry and cloudy Min -5 (23f) Max 3 (37f)
SOUTH - Sunny intervals Min -3 (27f) Max 5 (41f)
FRIDAY
NORTH - Cloudy, mainly dry Min 0c (32f) Max 5c (41f)
SOUTH - Dry with some cloud Min 2c (36f) Max 6c (43f)
First Minister Alex Salmond told BBC Good Morning Scotland: 'Everyone, civil power, military power, is using every effort to keep the country moving.
'These are exceptional conditions, these are extraordinarily low temperatures that we are now suffering from and in extraordinarily low temperatures many aspects of the transport system find it very difficult.
'The trains, for example, have safety provisions which mean they don't work under minus 10. I'm afraid it's underneath minus 10 in many areas.
'When ice gets onto motorways, salt doesn't dissolve the ice underneath minus 10 (14F). It's been minus 15 (5F), minus 20 (minus 4F) or even more in many areas, affecting roads in Scotland.
'These are just the realities of exceptional weather conditions.'
More snow fell today across north-east Scotland, Northern Ireland and in Yorkshire and Humber.
And with further showers over the east coast, the west coast of Wales and Cornwall's south-westernly tips, icy conditions are to be expected as a mixture of snow, sleet and rain falls.
While widespread icy roads and showers are expected up and down the country today, by Friday there will be some respite with temperatures throughout the UK expected to stabilise around 0C and less severe frost due to increased cloud cover.
Treacherous: A bus takes on the icy roads in Peebles, Scotland
Convoy: The M8 west bound motorway reopens after being closed for nearly two days on December 8, 2010 in Harthill , Scotland
North-easterly winds will return over the weekend and are likely to bring further snowfall to the north-east and east coast of England from the middle of next week.
In Scotland, many cars and lorries remained stranded for hours where they were left after the bitterly cold conditions left gritters unable to get them moving safely.
Black ice caused traffic chaos on the busiest road in North Wales for more than five hours after an articulated lorry jack-knifed.
The A55 was disrupted for the third day running near Llangefni on Anglesey after the early morning accident involving a huge Boots lorry.
An eyewitness said: 'I spoke to one of the traffic officers and he said it was suspected black ice. The lorry had obviously hit a patch of it and skidded. The roads are treacherous.'
Scotland has been worst hit by this week's latest blast of snow and ice.
Yesterday it emerged that one retired couple was left ‘starving and freezing’ for 17 hours on a journey which would usually have taken 40 minutes.
Pensioners Stewart and Kathleen Hendrie left their daughter's home on Glasgow's south side at 10am on Monday and finally sought warmth in a hotel in Cumbernauld at 4am yesterday.
Nearly half of children were also turned away from class north of the border as schools closed their doors. 
What's in a name? A motorist in the aptly-titled Durham village of Frosterley clears snow off his car yesterday
Bridge over troubled skies: The Clifton Suspension Bridge is shrouded in fog just after dawn
No let-up: A man braves a path in Penicuick, Midlothian (left) and another waits for a bus in Edinburgh
Misery: Cars stuck in the snow along the M8 in Scotland near Harthill
First Minister Alex Salmond last night admitted his government had been ‘caught out’ by a ‘perfect storm’ of heavy snow and bitter cold.
At least nine people have died so far in the big freeze, including an elderly man found dead in snow at a Lincolnshire caravan park.
Forecasters say the sub-zero conditions will abate at the end of this week before returning during the following days.
Tomorrow night will be much milder, with lows of 2C for most of England.
The South West and parts of western Scotland will see temperatures peak at a balmy 9C on that day.
Brian Gaze, of independent forecaster The Weather Outlook, said: ‘This cold spell is a once-in-a-lifetime event. We’ll probably never see it again.’
Deep and crisp and even: Dog walkers brave the frost in Ashton Court despite temperatures of -4C
The big freeze, up close: A high-resolultion shot of frost on the roof of a car in Worthing, England
Frozen over: Ducks look forlorn on the ice at Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
The AA attended a full day's worth of breakdowns by mid-afternoon yesterday, with calls peaking at around 2,500 every hour in the morning - around two and a half times the normal rate.
Since the first widespread snow on November 24, it has dealt with more than 230,000 - a 93 per cent increase on the same period last year.
Meanwhile the RAC said breakdowns were 50 per cent higher than normal.
Weather map: A satellite image taken at noon yesterday shows the snow gathered over Britain
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