The UK will see warmer weather this weekend as the cold snap which brought temperatures as low as minus 11C comes to an end.
The Met Office said Friday is expected to bring milder temperatures overnight with wet and windy conditions replacing the snow and ice seen in some parts of the country.
This will be followed by some bright spells at the start of next week with warmer temperatures, particularly overnight.
Met Office spokesman Ollie Claydon said: “Temperatures are to become more mild for the time of year after this cold snap.
“Though it will be less cold rather than very mild – a return to normal, or average, temperatures.
“There will be some wintry showers over the Scottish mountains, as you would expect, but it (precipitation) will be falling as rain rather than snow in most areas.”
The warmer weather, expected to last at least until Thursday, comes after the cold snap forced dozens of schools to close, caused disruption on the roads and left homes without power because of snow.
About 100 schools closed in northern Scotland on Thursday, while in Wales, 36 were closed in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion.
In North Yorkshire, 33 schools were closed while eight were listed as fully closed in East Yorkshire.
Temperatures dropped to -12.6℃ last night at Tomintoul in Scotland, making it the coldest November night since 2010 🥶
— Met Office (@metoffice) November 21, 2025
It won't be so widely frosty this weekend, though still a little nippy when you step out the door on Saturday and Sunday morning pic.twitter.com/bRj6fIjjKp
A spokeswoman for RAC Breakdown said the roadside assistance company saw its busiest day of the year since January on Friday, with vehicle breakdowns spiking.
Spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: “The ongoing cold snap and freezing temperatures means our patrols are exceptionally busy, with breakdowns almost 50% higher than what we’d usually expect at this time of year.
“Yesterday was our busiest day since January 13 and the fifth busiest day of the year so far.
“Melting snow and surface water increases the likelihood of encountering black ice, which is very dangerous as it’s almost impossible to spot.”
Temperatures plummeted to minus 11C at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands, while England and Wales saw lows of minus 6C at Trawsgoed in Ceredigion, Wales and minus 4C at Rostherne, Cheshire.
A yellow weather warning for ice had been in place until midday on Friday in the North East.
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