Thundersnow sparks police calls as Scotland woken up by winter weather
Scotland and other parts of the UK have seen the first significant snowfall of the winter as a cold weather alert was issued for the days ahead.
S ome S c ot t i s h r e s i dents got an unusual wake- up call overnight and alerted police to explosions but what they were actually hearing was a natural phenomenon known as "thundersnow".
This is the rare combination of thunderstorms formed in wintry conditions that bring heavy downpours of snow along with the usual thunder and lightning.
People woke up to bright snowy scenes having heard sounds which would have been far louder than usual thunder and lightning strikes.
Po l i c e S c o t l a nd Cont r o l Rooms said they had received a number of calls from people who were concerned after they heard explosions and strange noises.
They t weeted on Friday at about 5am: "Please do not be alarmed, we are currently experiencing thunder and lightning."
The snow caused disruption across many areas, including temporarily shutting the Queensferry Crossing.
Traffic Scotland operator manager Douglas Cairns said the first severe weather warning of the winter for snow and ice had led to "some very challenging driving conditions".
It was the coldest night of autumn/ winter so far, with - 9.6 C ( 14 . 72F) r ecorded at Altnaharra, Sutherland, i n the Highlands, as rain, sleet and snow fell across a broad swathe of Scotland and northern England, according to the Met Office.
The coldest night of the year is still - 10.2C ( 13.64F) recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire on February 13.
A dusting of snow also lay over Kent and spread northward over t he wealds and downs of south- east England.
With a risk of severe cold weather, icy conditions and heavy snow across parts of the countr y, Public Health England ( PHE) is encouraging people to stay warm and look out for those most at- risk.
The Met Office has said there is a high chance that the north east of England, north west of England and Yorkshire and the Humber regions will be gripped by cold weather through to "at least" Tuesday evening.
Me t O f f i c e m e t e o r o l o - gist Bonnie Diamond said: "December has got off to a much colder start than last month, with widespread low temperatures bringing the risk of frost, ice and wintry weather across the country. "Wit h t e mperat u r e s g e n - e r a l l y l i mited t o b e t ween 4 t o 7C by day and f al l i ng widely below freezing overnight, a cold weather aler t has b e e n i s s ued c ove r i ng much of northern England a n d wi l l r e mai n i n p l a c e until at least next Tuesday." A number of yellow weather warnings for snow, rain and ice are in place.
Parts of eastern Scotland could be hit by some persistent heavy rain, with 20- 40 mm of rain falling quite widely.
Freezing temperatures could take hold overnight in southeast England where a warning for ice has been issued from Friday evening t hrough t o Saturday morning. Residents in Kent, the far east of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk may face a few showers which could lead to more ice