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18 December 2010
Last updated at 00:59 ET
Severe weather warnings are in place for many parts of Britain, with more heavy snow and freezing temperatures expected later.
Northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be affected and some parts of England may see up to 20cm of snow.
Easyjet has cancelled its Gatwick flights until 1000 GMT, while some southern England train operators have a reduced service.
Overnight, up to 20cm of snow fell in north-west England.
Blizzards and falling temperatures hit many parts of the UK's affecting the nation's road, air and rail networks on what is traditionally the busiest weekend for travellers and retailers before Christmas.
Problems were reported on several motorways and Lancashire Police said hundreds of drivers were left stranded on the M6, in Greater Manchester, after a lorry jack-knifed in heavy snow at about 0030 GMT.
There was also disruption on the M61, M58 and M57 due to the weather.
Police put a major incident plan in place and advised people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Overnight, temperatures fell as low as minus 13C in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and minus 11C at Gatwick.
Up to 10cm of snow is expected later across southern England and Wales.
Several roads in south Wales were closed overnight.
Meanwhile, staff who work at University Hospital Wales, in Cardiff, are being urged to contact their wards to see if they are able to help over the weekend because the weather has hit staffing levels.
BBC Meteorologist Daniel Corbett said: "South-west England and the southern counties of of England will bar the brunt of this storm."
In Northern Ireland, where conditions on Friday were said to be the worst in 25 years, the situation is expected to improve slightly with only a few snow showers expected.
On Friday, at least 800 schools in Wales, 500 in Scotland and 700 in Northern Ireland closed.
Other problems caused by the weather include:
New Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has insisted Scotland is "very well prepared" and the authorities are doing all they can to keep trunk roads open.
Mr Brown' s predecessor Stewart Stevenson resigned after his department was criticised for its handling of the problems caused by the previous bout of severe weather.
Energy Minister Charles Hendy warned on Thursday that more bad weather over Christmas could lead to "very serious" shortages of domestic heating oil.
But a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron has played down the suggestions, saying: "I don't think that's going to happen at all.
"The position at the moment is that there is sufficient fuel. The problem is getting it around the country."
Heavy snowfall during the past few weeks has caused huge disruption, especially in Scotland and north-east England.
Airports, roads and schools were closed, and companies are now warning of a backlog of deliveries which may not reach customers before Christmas.
The Royal Mail is putting on 7,000 delivery rounds this Sunday in a bid to ease the problem.
Have you been affected by the heavy snow and ice or by the backlog of deliveries? You can send us your experiences using the form below:
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
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Northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be affected and some parts of England may see up to 20cm of snow.
Easyjet has cancelled its Gatwick flights until 1000 GMT, while some southern England train operators have a reduced service.
Overnight, up to 20cm of snow fell in north-west England.
Blizzards and falling temperatures hit many parts of the UK's affecting the nation's road, air and rail networks on what is traditionally the busiest weekend for travellers and retailers before Christmas.
Problems were reported on several motorways and Lancashire Police said hundreds of drivers were left stranded on the M6, in Greater Manchester, after a lorry jack-knifed in heavy snow at about 0030 GMT.
There was also disruption on the M61, M58 and M57 due to the weather.
Police put a major incident plan in place and advised people not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Overnight, temperatures fell as low as minus 13C in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and minus 11C at Gatwick.
Up to 10cm of snow is expected later across southern England and Wales.
Several roads in south Wales were closed overnight.
Meanwhile, staff who work at University Hospital Wales, in Cardiff, are being urged to contact their wards to see if they are able to help over the weekend because the weather has hit staffing levels.
BBC Meteorologist Daniel Corbett said: "South-west England and the southern counties of of England will bar the brunt of this storm."
In Northern Ireland, where conditions on Friday were said to be the worst in 25 years, the situation is expected to improve slightly with only a few snow showers expected.
On Friday, at least 800 schools in Wales, 500 in Scotland and 700 in Northern Ireland closed.
Other problems caused by the weather include:
- Belfast International airport reopened at 0030 GMT but delays are expected
- Budget airline Easyjet has cancelled all its flights in and out of Gatwick airport between 0600 GMT and 1000 GMT on Saturday and expects further cancellations and delays throughout the day
- Southern, Southeastern and South West trains have cancelled some services on Saturday
- A number of weekend football fixtures have been cancelled
- A cannabis factory in Leicester has been exposed by the wintry weather because heat lamps inside melted the snow on its roof
- An urgent appeal is being made for blood donors, particularly those who are O negative, as stocks are running low
- Transport secretary Philip Hammond says distributors of heating oil are hoping to clear their delivery backlog in the next few days, following fears it may need to be rationed
New Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has insisted Scotland is "very well prepared" and the authorities are doing all they can to keep trunk roads open.
Mr Brown' s predecessor Stewart Stevenson resigned after his department was criticised for its handling of the problems caused by the previous bout of severe weather.
Energy Minister Charles Hendy warned on Thursday that more bad weather over Christmas could lead to "very serious" shortages of domestic heating oil.
But a spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron has played down the suggestions, saying: "I don't think that's going to happen at all.
"The position at the moment is that there is sufficient fuel. The problem is getting it around the country."
Heavy snowfall during the past few weeks has caused huge disruption, especially in Scotland and north-east England.
Airports, roads and schools were closed, and companies are now warning of a backlog of deliveries which may not reach customers before Christmas.
The Royal Mail is putting on 7,000 delivery rounds this Sunday in a bid to ease the problem.
Have you been affected by the heavy snow and ice or by the backlog of deliveries? You can send us your experiences using the form below:
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Powered by WizardRSS | Work At Home Jobs