The UK was left shivering last night after a cold snap sent temperatures plummeting towards a nippy -7C.
Temperatures plunged overnight to their lowest this year as the nation enters a ‘colder phase’ of weather, the Met Office said.
Forecasters warned it would be a ‘very cold night’ on Friday ahead of a heavy frost-covered Saturday morning across England and Wales.
Overnight temperatures dropped well into the negatives in the UK with the lowest temperature of -6.6C being recorded in Sennybridge, Wales.
In the village of Shap, near Penrith in Cumbria, and in Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, temperatures dropped to a bone-chilling -6.5C.
Unsettled weather and a brisk breeze will roll in on Saturday, with heavy rain and showers sweeping in from the west for much of the UK.
Temperatures are expected to vary between 5C in Norwich and Manchester, and 11C in Plymouth.
For central and eastern parts of England, the weather is expected to remain dry with clear spells and a heavy dose of frost.
A walker striding through Richmond Park in south-west London on a very frosty Friday morning
A runner braves the frosty weather in Wimbledon Common on Saturday morning
People arriving on Avon Beach in Dorset yesterday ahead of a very chilly dip in the sea
A woman pictured running through a park in Wimbledon, south-west London on November 14
Car windscreens in a residential street in Wimbledon covered in frost as temperatures plummeted overnight
The first yellow cold health alerts of the season were issued this week in the North West and the West Midlands
But there is potential snowfall in north-west Scotland during the weekend, where frost has been less widespread due to cloudier skies.
Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer said: ‘The UK forecast has moved to a colder phase with the daytime temperatures for most locations likely to stay in single figures.
‘Overnight temperatures on Friday night will dip again to minus four or even minus 6C in some locations, meaning another significant ground frost for many locations.’
Friday brought the first widespread frost of autumn after the UK experienced its ‘coldest night of the season’, according to the Met Office.
Over the weekend, the cold weather will give way to milder conditions with temperatures expected to stay above freezing on Sunday morning.
Sunshine is forecast in the east in the morning and across the far north and west later in the day.
Conditions are otherwise expected to be cloudy and breezy with outbreaks of rain, some heavy, and potential hill snow in the north.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Steven Keates said: ‘The outlook is changeable with spells of rain, sleet and some hill snow.
A man enjoys a brisk morning walk with his dog through a park in London over the weekend
A paddle boarder braves the freezing cold water and weather in Dorset yesterday mroning
Mist rests over a river running through a frost-covered Richmond Park on November 13
‘On Sunday, low pressure will bring rain or showers to many areas.
‘Precipitation will be most persistent across northern Scotland, where there is an increasing chance of snow developing later in the day.
‘This will mainly fall over high ground, where accumulations are likely, but some snow could fall to lower levels too. Ice may also become a hazard.’
The first yellow cold health alerts of the season were issued this week by the UK Health Security Agency for the West Midlands and the North West.
The warning came into effect at 9am on Thursday and is in place until noon on Saturday.
These alerts mean the weather is ‘likely to have minor impacts on health and social care services’, including an increased use of healthcare services and a greater risk to life to vulnerable people, the agency said.
Dr Anya Gopfert, consultant in public health at UKHSA, said: ‘This is the first cold-health alert of the winter, but we can expect more as we move further into the season.
‘Cold weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, so it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours who are most vulnerable.’
Dr Gopfert said heating homes and dressing warmly can help people stay safe during the cold weather.
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