Snow warnings have been issued for Thursday as parts of Yorkshire are gripped by wintry blast.

The Met Office has issued a warning as wintry scenes grip the northern half of the UK. Parts of North Yorkshire have already had snowfall reported, with the first flakes of the season seen on the North Yorkshire Moors last night.

An Amber warning for snow has been issued for Thursday. Significant accumulations are possible over the North York Moors and parts of the Yorkshire Wolds, say the Met Office.

Rain and hill snow, followed by clearing skies, will also lead to the risk of icy patches on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The Met Office says to expect some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths and possible injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

Travel delays and hazardous pavements and cycle paths are expected, along with possible power cuts, a risk of injury and public transport cancellations.

Widespread cold and some wintry hazards are expected to continue across the UK throughout the week.

On Wednesday, a yellow warning for snow and ice remains in place in northern Scotland, the north-east coast of England, Cornwall and Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, yellow ice warnings cover much of the rest of the country, including southern Scotland, northern and central England and Wales.

Multiple Met Office yellow national severe weather warnings for ice and snow have also been issued for the coming days, covering Northern Ireland, parts of Wales, northern and southwest parts of England and much of Scotland.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Cold Arctic air from the north is firmly in charge of the UK’s weather, bringing the first notable cold snap of this autumn and giving an early taste of winter weather.

“As a result, winter hazards are likely through the next few days, with snow and ice a particular hazard, and the coldest conditions likely on Wednesday and Thursday. Wintry showers will affect areas exposed to the brisk northerly wind, in particular Northern Ireland, southwest Wales, southwest England, northeast England and across the northern half of Scotland.

“Whilst not all places will see lying snow, where showers are most frequent accumulations of 2-5 cm will be possible. On higher ground in Scotland, 15-20 cm could accumulate, and potentially as much as 15-25 cm over the North York Moors and Yorkshire Wolds.”

In addition to snow, ice will be an ongoing hazard, particularly overnight in the coming days.

Neil Armstong added: “Temperatures are well below average for the time of year and could get as low as -11°C in rural parts of Scotland on Thursday night, with daytime temperatures generally in low single figures for many. With clear skies, overnight ice could create some particularly tricky travel conditions.”

Updates to warnings are possible in the coming days, so stay up to date with the latest Met Office forecast.

The coldest night since March was recorded on Saturday when temperatures dropped to minus 7C in Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands.