The United Kingdom shivered through its coldest night of autumn on November 20 to 21, 2025, as temperatures plummeted to levels not seen in more than a decade. According to the BBC, the mercury fell to a bone-chilling -12.6°C overnight in Tomintoul, Scotland—marking the coldest November night recorded in 15 years. The cold snap, which had already blanketed much of the country in snow and ice throughout the week, brought widespread disruption, especially to schools and transport networks.
Other parts of the UK also faced severe cold. Wales registered lows of -7.2°C, Northern Ireland dropped to -6°C, and England recorded -6.7°C in Shap. The Independent reported that the Met Office also recorded -11.7°C at Loch Glascarnoch, with forecaster Steve Willington noting, “Temperatures will fall sharply again tonight, with lows potentially reaching -12°C in rural parts of Scotland and widely below freezing elsewhere.” These frigid conditions followed what had, up until then, been a relatively mild autumn.
Britain’s coldest night for the UK as a whole since January 11, 2025—when Altnaharra hit -18.9°C—came with a flurry of official warnings. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber cold-health alerts for the North West, North East, and Yorkshire and Humber, with the rest of England under less severe yellow alerts until 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. These alerts warned of “significant impacts” for the elderly and those with health conditions, predicting increased demand on health and social care services. The alerts underscored the risks faced by vulnerable groups, with Alex Parker from Age UK North Yorkshire telling the BBC he was “really concerned about the people that we support” and their “ability to get out and about, to be able to continue with their daily lives and to make sure they’re safe and comfortable in their own homes.”
Yellow weather warnings for ice were issued across large swathes of England, Scotland, and Wales, with seven in force on Friday morning, as reported by Sky News. These warnings, which covered regions from the north-east of Scotland to the eastern coastline of England, were expected to expire by midday. The Met Office cautioned that “showers throughout the night would bring icy conditions and snow over higher ground,” and that untreated surfaces could become treacherous, potentially causing travel disruption into Friday morning.
Indeed, the cold snap’s impact was felt most acutely by schools and commuters. On Thursday, November 20, more than 100 schools in north-east Scotland were closed due to heavy snow, while around 40 schools in North Yorkshire and 10 in East Yorkshire also shut their doors. In Wales, 40 schools in Pembrokeshire, 14 in Carmarthenshire, and 7 in Ceredigion were closed. The snow and ice brought traffic to a standstill in several regions and left some homes without power. National Rail urged passengers to check their journeys, particularly after damaged overhead wires caused disruption on lines to and from Glasgow Central on Thursday. By Friday, train services were expected to return to normal.
For many, the cold weather was a mixed blessing. Fourteen-year-old Ela McLoughlin from Crymych, Wales, told the BBC she was glad to be off school. Along with her family and their dog Madog, she enjoyed a snowy morning walk up Foel Drygarn, even spotting people skiing. But not everyone was so enthusiastic. David Jefferson, a 79-year-old from Beverley, shared with the BBC, “I find the snow difficult to walk in, especially when you get to my time of life. The sooner it goes the better really.”
The NHS even jumped in with some practical advice. Laura Halcrow from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recommended that pedestrians “walk like a penguin” to avoid slips and falls on icy surfaces—a method that might look funny, but, as she explained, “waddling really works. A slip on ice can cause painful injuries and even hospital stays, especially for older people.” Cyclists and pedestrians alike were advised to stick to main roads, which were more likely to be gritted and less slippery than side streets.
Gritters worked overtime in the hardest-hit areas, especially North Yorkshire, to keep roads passable. Despite their efforts, drivers were urged to exercise caution. The cold snap, while disruptive, was not entirely out of the ordinary for this time of year. As STV News pointed out, temperatures in Scotland had only dipped below -10°C in November on four occasions between 2011 and 2023, making this year’s event notably rare but not unprecedented. A similar cold spell hit around the same time last year, with Deeside and the northern Highlands also seeing temperatures below -10°C.
Forecasters predicted that Friday, November 21, would mark the end of this particularly harsh cold spell. Simon Partridge, a meteorologist quoted by Sky News, explained that the chill was “primarily from a little ridge of high pressure moving across the UK overnight.” He added, “Friday is really the end of the really cold weather as things turn back to average by the time we get into the weekend.” The Met Office anticipated milder, wetter, and windier weather sweeping in from the Atlantic over the weekend, with temperatures rising to between 3°C and 8°C on Friday and possibly reaching double figures in some regions by Sunday. However, this milder spell would be accompanied by rain and gusty winds, particularly in the northwest and across the Hebrides and Northern Isles.
Looking ahead, the unsettled weather was expected to persist into the following week, with further spells of rain and showers predicted for Sunday and Monday, interspersed with occasional brighter periods. Cooler air was forecast to return to the north by the end of Monday, potentially bringing more wintry conditions to the far north of the country, though nothing as severe as the week’s earlier cold snap.
The Met Office and UKHSA continued to monitor conditions, warning that while the worst of the cold was over for now, the winter ahead could still hold further surprises. For now, communities across the UK are taking stock—checking on neighbors, bundling up, and, in some cases, perfecting their penguin waddle as they wait for the thaw.
