Britain is bracing for the coldest night of the year so far amid fears that temperatures could plunge to a record -15°C in parts of the UK.

Yellow warnings for snow and ice have also been put in place across Scotland, much of northern England, and parts of north Wales until midnight on Tuesday, as well as for Northern Ireland until 11 am.

The winter’s record low of -12.5°C (9.5°F) set on December 3 could be broken tonight – with milder air not arriving until the weekend when it will become wet and windy.

The mercury, which fell to -9°C (16°F) this morning, could now plummet to -15°C (5°F) tonight with the UK enduring a ‘cold plunge of Arctic air’ as more than 100 schools closed on Tuesday.

Temperatures on Monday were so freezing that icicles could be seen forming on fountains in London’s Trafalgar Square.

Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said today we could see a ‘persistent band of snow’ over three to six hours across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of northern England and Wales.

He said: ‘In the early hours of the morning we’re looking at temperatures getting down to -12°C in a few spots, Tuesday night possibly down to -15°C.

So certainly a very cold spell into Wednesday.

Britain was gripped by road chaos today as police responded to an ‘influx’ of accidents and drivers were warned they could end up stranded in heavy snow.

Temperatures fell to -9°C (16°F) this morning and could plummet to -15°C (5°F) tonight with the UK enduring a ‘cold plunge of Arctic air’ as more than 100 schools closed.

Lancashire Police said there was ‘an influx in road traffic collisions’ in the county, while Merseyside Police dealt with ‘a number of incidents on the roads due to snow.

The Met Office expects 4 inches (10 cm) of snow in northern England and Wales, while up to 8 inches (20 cm) could fall in the Scottish Highlands. Cumbria, Northumberland, and the Pennines could be worst hit today – after Aberdeenshire saw 6 inches (15 cm) yesterday.

More than 1ft 4 inches (40 cm) of snow could accumulate on high ground in North West Scotland by the end of Friday as it continues to build up over the coming days.

The coldest temperature this morning was -8.6°F (-16.5°F) on Aonach Mòr in Scotland, while areas of Oxfordshire, Dorset, and Hampshire all fell to -8°C (17.6°F). Northolt in West London was -6.2°C (20.8°F) while Gatwick and Exeter airports were -6°C (21°F).

Meteorologists said there could be ‘possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers’ and ‘rural communities could become cut off.

London Fire Brigade warns people not to walk on frozen lakes and canals, and National Rail warned the wintry weather could affect train journeys all week.

Liverpool was among the cities worst hit by snow today, with 36 schools closing and bin collections suspended as workers were redeployed to clear footpaths instead.

In Scotland, more than 100 schools were closed today amid the wintry weather.

The weekend will be milder, but westerly weather will bring wind and rain – and the potential for more weather warnings as the snow melts.