People across the country woke up to frost and in some places inches of snow as temperatures plummeted to minus 9°c - and its set to drop to -10°c tonight.
The Arctic blast dubbed the Troll of Trondheim has swept down through the Scotland and into England, Northern Ireland and Wales and led the UK Health Security Agency to declare a level three Cold Weather Action Alert.
The rarely used alert has been extended and now remains in place until Friday, December 16 as the cold weather continues to bite.
The amber alert says "there is currently a 30% risk of up to 5cm of snow on Sunday around London and the Southeast".
It reads: "Cold weather is now established across the country.
"Very cold nights are expected over the weekend into the early part of next week, with widespread moderate, locally severe, frosts, and some freezing fog patches in places.
|Daytime temperatures will remain low, with some places struggling to rise above freezing, more especially where any fog patches linger.
"Wintry showers will continue to affect some coasts, pushing into some inland areas at times, bringing a risk of icy patches and slight accumulations of snow."
Last temperatures fell to minus 9°c in Benson, a small village in Oxfordshire and minus 8.2°c in Shap, a village in Cumbria and Swyddffynnon is a village in Ceredigion, Wales saw it plummet to minus 7.9°c.
The Met Office told the Mirror that although it is cold this December, a temperature of minus 27.2°c was recorded in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands on December 30, 1995.
Met Office chief meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “As an Arctic maritime airmass settles across the UK temperatures will fall with widespread overnight frosts, severe in places, and daytime temperatures only a few degrees above freezing.
'However, the cold air from the Arctic will also bring brighter conditions, with some dry, sunny spells, particularly away from the coast and where winds are light it could feel pleasant in the sunshine. Some patchy freezing fog is also likely.
“Yellow National Severe Weather Warnings for ice and snow have been issued for parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the east coast and South West England.
"Showers will turn more wintry with an increasing risk of snow as the week progresses, particularly in coastal areas or over higher ground. There will be widespread frosts with temperatures falling to as low as -10°C overnight in isolated spots by the end of the week."
Meanwhile, just over 3,200 warm banks, run by local authorities and charities to provide heating to those who can not afford to heat their homes, are open across the UK, according to the Warm Welcome Campaign.
It said many of them are a third or even half full and offer a variety of services, from hot tea to a place to work.
Charity Save the Children said 194 of 355 councils in England and Wales are directly involved in or supporting local groups to open warm spaces this winter.
Councillor Richard Wenham, Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association's Resources Board, said: "Warm hubs and other similar schemes are among the many actions councils are taking to support people in the greatest need this winter, but these emergency schemes should not become the norm and are not a sustainable solution to bridge the gap between income and the current cost of living."
Becca Lyon, head of child poverty at Save the Children UK, said: “Families should not be in a position where they are agonising over whether to put the heating on in sub-zero temperatures. Parents have told us they will risk going into debt to keep their children warm. Others are doing their very best by relying on blankets, hot water bottles and living mostly in one room.
“One mum told us how her children are sleeping under two duvets. Another is putting extra clothes on their children inside the house and another is using seven hot water bottles to keep her family warm. One mum who works full-time said she cannot afford sanitary products this month because her bills have wiped out her income.
“The network of warm banks across the country shows how communities and councils are doing their best to help people through these extremely tough times. Yet they should not be needed in 2022. They are also not always practical as they can be too far away for families to use. The safest place for children to be warm is at home.
"The best way to ensure families can stay warm is to ensure they have enough money in the first place. Save the Children UK wants to see a £20 per week boost to child-related benefits to keep children comfortable this winter.”
It comes as people on the lowest incomes in hundreds of affected postcode districts in England and Wales are set to receive a £25 cold weather payment.
The Government payments have been triggered for eligible households in areas where the average temperature has been recorded as, or is forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days.
Elsewhere, RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said Thursday was an "exceptionally busy day for patrols", with a quarter more breakdowns taking place across the UK than is "normal" for the time of year.
He added: "If anything, we're expecting today to be even busier as many people - including students - use their cars to get away for the weekend, or take a day off to do their Christmas shopping.
"It's a picture that's going to continue into the weekend and next week as the cold snap continues.
"It's vital that drivers make sure their cars are ready for the conditions to limit the risk of breaking down in the low temperatures, and this weekend is an ideal time to do check over their car' tyres as well as oil, coolant and screenwash levels.
"Anyone embarking on a longer journey should pack a winter kit they can use if the worst happens, which should include plenty of warm clothing layers for all passengers, a flask of warm drink, as well as food, water and a power-bank for keeping a mobile phone charged."
