Britons have been warned to brace for another night of sub-zero temperatures as parts of the UK are hit with Met Office ice warnings.
The Met Office has issued an amber snow alert alongside multiple yellow warnings for ice, with bitter Arctic air sweeping across Scotland, Northern Ireland, the South West and the East of England.
Forecasters said the freezing blast could make roads hazardous, spark major travel disruption and heighten the risk of slips and falls.
The North East is also braced for further wintry weather, with a fresh yellow ice warning in force from midnight on Friday until midday and until 11am in East Anglia.
Cold weather health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency remain in place until Saturday.
Heavy snowfall shut dozens of schools across Wales, Devon, Cornwall and Northern Ireland, while widespread travel delays brought parts of the country to a standstill.
Drivers in the North East were hit hardest, with North Yorkshire Police urging motorists to avoid the A171 near Whitby after multiple vehicles became stranded in the snow.
Officers also closed the A169 between Whitby and Pickering amid whiteout conditions.
A person walks in the snow in Newcastle early this morning amid whiteout conditions
Snowy conditions at Cullercoats in North Tyneside today as the wintry weather continues
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National Rail urged rail commuters to check their journeys before travelling during the snowy and icy weather.
In Scotland, 190 schools or nurseries across Aberdeenshire were closed due to the heavy snow, with temperatures colder than the Russian capital, while the A90 in Aberdeen was shut between Cleanhill and Stonehaven.
More than 30 schools shut in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire and seven in Ceredigion - while hundreds of properties in those areas of Wales also lost power.
Meanwhile, in Scotland thousands of children were treated to another day off school as heavy snow and ice caused disruption - with temperatures colder than the Russian capital.
Drifting conditions saw a spate of minor incidents across the north, with snow ploughs and gritters deployed to keep routes open as temperatures plummeted to below -6C.
Dundreggan, Inverness-shire, recorded the coldest overnight temperature on Thursday at -6.4C. In comparison the mercury in Russia's capital Moscow only dipped to -3C.
Daytime temperatures only reached just above freezing at Loch Glascarnoch, near Garve, Ross-shire, which peaked at 1.1C.
And forecasters are predicting thermometers to dip to as low as -11C in some rural areas overnight.
A car driving through the snowy conditions at Cullercoats in North Tyneside this morning
Heavy snowfall covers the landscape in the area around Liverton in North Yorkshire today
People walking in the snowy conditions at Cullercoats in North Tyneside this morning
But the Arctic conditions are expected to be short-lived with temperatures across much of the country turning milder over the weekend.
The Met Office warned 'we could drop to -11 C as an absolute low over snowfall across Scotland'.
But a spokesman said: 'After a widespread frost overnight, the risk of snow diminishes as temperatures turn slightly milder [today]. Many areas will be dry and fine with long spells of sunshine.'