UK weather live: Fresh snow and ice warnings across UK as Storm Goretti approaches

Aberdeenshire council have declared a “major incident” as ongoing snow continues to cause travel disruptions and school closures.

The local authority said treating it as a major incident enabled it to “focus attention on the emergency response, prioritise and reallocate staff and resources, and work efficiently with partners to protect life”.

A Met Office amber warning covers much of Aberdeenshire and the north east of Scotland until 7pm on Tuesday.

Snowy conditions in the region are expected to continue throughout Wednesday, with a yellow warning for snow and ice in place all day across northern Scotland, and a yellow warning of ice in the rest of the country until 10am.

A yellow warning of snow and ice is also in place as far south as Perth until midnight on Tuesday.

Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident as the region deals with ongoing heavy snow.

Police Scotland have commented that the impact of the snow is likely to be felt over the next few days in the north and north-east of Scotland, and they have urged people to follow travel advice.

Assistant chief constable Alan Waddell said: “Local resilience partnerships are continuing to meet to co-ordinate and deliver the response to disruption experienced by communities in the north and north-east of Scotland following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

“We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.

“Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.”

Ministers met police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies on Monday to discuss recovery efforts and to prepare for further snow and ice warnings.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said last night weather was “extraordinary for modern standards.”

He explained “these kinds of temperatures in these kinds of places and the kinds of snow depths we’ve been seeing have been noteworthy for our modern climate.

“They wouldn’t perhaps have stood out in the 1980s, but last night we saw lows”.

He referenced the lowest temperature was recorded in Marham, Norfolk as opposed to where you would expect the coldest temperature to be in Scotland or Norther Ireland.

Several regions had a temperature below minus 10 C, even “the typically balmy spots of Southern England, for example, Bournemouth, minus eight and a half celsius”, he said.

He added: “The reason East Anglia and the South East were the coldest spots last night is because they stayed clear for longest. Parts of Scotland would have been much colder because of the widespread snow cover, had the wind and rain and snow not picked up later.”

Dozens of flights between the Dutch hub and UK airports on KLM are once again cancelled – including services to and from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Humberside, Inverness, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Teesside.

The airport says: “Due to persistent winter weather, only limited air traffic is possible to and from Schiphol. Our snow crews are working around the clock to keep the runways clear, and aircraft are being carefully de-iced to ensure everyone can travel safely.“

However, the wintry conditions are expected to cause disruptions to the flight schedule in the coming days.”

With some understatement, the airport adds: “This may result in delays and cancellations.” On Tuesday afternoon, KLM warned that supplies of de-icing fluid were “under pressure”.

The Dutch airline said: “Due to a combination of extreme weather conditions and delays in supply from the provider, stock levels are running low.

“The supplier, based in Germany, is currently unable to guarantee timely replenishment. This challenge is currently widespread across Europe.

“De-icing is performed with a mixture of heated water and glycol. Every departing aircraft must be completely free of snow and ice before it can safely take off. KLM operates a fleet of 25 de-icing trucks, all of which have been in continuous use since Friday.”

The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 calculates that 45 per cent of Amsterdam’s flights have been cancelled on Tuesday. Already, 171 flights scheduled for Wednesday have been grounded.

In total, since last Friday, around 2,500 flights have been cancelled – affecting at least one-third of a million passengers.While the only easyJet UK cancellation so far is a round-trip from Edinburgh, many flights are severely delayed.

The 6.15am from London Gatwick to Amsterdam is now expected to leave at 4.50pm, over 10 hours late.

The Emirates flight from Dubai due in at 8pm on Tuesday arrived at 4pm on Wednesday, 20 hours behind schedule.

Under air passengers’ rights rules, travellers whose flights are cancelled or severely delayed are entitled to be flown to their destination as soon as possible on any airline, and to be provided with meals and hotels until they get there.

When it comes to dressing during snowy weather, it all comes down to layering and insulating staples. IndyBest shares their top tips for clothes to wear to help you wrap up warm during a storm:

The best thermalsare a blessing during cold spells, from zip up turtlenecks to fleece-lined leggings. Keeping feet dry and warm, the top-rated kids’, men’s and women’ssnow boots aren’t just the reserve of ski resorts (invest in some thermal socks, too).

Baby snowsuitscan be useful throughout winter, not just during blizzard season, while duvet coats are your best friend during snow storms. Tested in wet and windy conditions, the best umbrellas also have you covered.

Simon Calder, The Independent’sTravel correspondent reports on the rail disruptions caused by snow:

An amber warning has been issued for heavy snow across north-east and northern Scotland from 11am until 7pm.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across Wales and north-east and south-west England until 11am, as well as in the rest of Scotland and Northern Ireland for much of the day.

Icy patches are expected to persist into Wednesday, with yellow weather warnings in place until 10am across much of England, Wales, and the south of Scotland, and until 11am in Northern Ireland.

A yellow warning for snow and ice in the north of Scotland will remain in place for much of the day on Wednesday.

Highway experts warn that drivers could be fined up to £1,000 for repeatedly defrosting their car incorrectly.

The Royal Automobile Club foundation (most commonly known as RAC) has warned drivers that if they leave their engine running on a public road unattended, they could be at risk of being heavily fined.

This is because leaving your running engine unattended is an offence known as “idling” and it breaks rule 123 of the UK Highway code, under regulations 98 and 107 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.