Provisional recordings showed that temperatures fell to -14C in Dalwhinnie in Scotland on Tuesday night - believed to be the lowest January temperature in Britain since 2019.

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The Met Office has issued amber warnings for snow between 3pm on Wednesday and 6pm on Thursday in northwest Scotland and the Northern Isles, meaning road delays are likely and some vehicles could be stranded.

The forecaster said some areas could see an extra 15 to 20cm of snow, which may result in power cuts and more remote communities at risk of being cut off.

The freezing temperatures are set to continue until Friday - with "potentially disruptive" storms hitting this weekend.

Cold Arctic air moving south has caused the cold snap - making it 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year.

A Met Office spokeswoman said the low temperatures - which have prompted an amber cold alert for England from the UK Health Security Agency - are also due to how long the cold snap has lasted.

"It's due to the prolonged nature of this cold spell, it will have been lasting for quite a few days," the spokeswoman said.

"A build-up of snow, as well, just allows for the temperatures to get colder and colder and we don't often see a cold spell last three to five days.

"The air is coming directly from the Arctic, so it is exceptionally cold air," she added.

"Potentially disruptive" stormy weather is then set to land on Sunday, the Met Office said, which will also bring milder temperatures.

"It's staying cold until Friday, and then looking further ahead into the weekend we've got some deep areas of low pressure pushing in, so a big change in weather type, and we could see some stormy conditions by the end of the week," the spokeswoman said.

"The cold isn't lasting right to the end of the week, but we have a very different type of potentially disruptive weather arriving."

The Met Office's long-range forecast, which can be prone to change, said that "there is the potential for some damaging winds on Sunday into Monday, especially in the north. Rain is likely to be heavy at times across many western hills."

Scotland was among the worst-hit parts of the UK for snow and ice, with Transport Scotland warning motorists to be prepared if they have to undertake journeys.

Stein Connelly, head of transport resilience (operations), said: "This cold snap is... causing difficult driving conditions in the current warning areas. It's important that anyone that has to travel during the warning period plans their journey in advance and allows extra time. Police Scotland's official travel advice is likely to change at short notice."

The freezing weather saw schools closed and transport affected, with thousands of households in England and Wales becoming eligible for cold weather payments.

They are made to vulnerable people, including pensioners, to help them pay for heating when the temperature dips below freezing.

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The payments go to those living in an area where the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.

Payments will be made to homes across Cumbria, Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, Northumberland, Norfolk, Staffordshire and Powys in Wales.