A severe cold snap has gripped the UK in early January 2026, prompting authorities and charities to urge the public to stay at home where possible to avoid risky outings on icy roads and paths.

This Arctic blast has also affected parts of Europe and North America, but the “stay at home” messaging in the UK has drawn comparisons to Covid-era advice in some outlets, though it’s primarily focused on safety during extreme weather rather than mandates.

The Met Office and other forecasters indicate the cold conditions may persist into mid-January in some areas, with ongoing yellow warnings for snow and ice. If you’re in the affected regions, standard advice includes keeping homes heated to at least 18°C, layering clothing, and limiting outdoor exposure.

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Snow causes hundreds of school closures and travel disruption with temperatures set to dip as low as -12C

Snow and ice warnings remain in place for Tuesday after snowfall caused travel disruption and hundreds of school closures across large parts of the country on Monday. The Telegraph has the story.

Yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place across all of Scotland and much of northern England, with further warnings covering the east of England and the west of Wales as well as Devon and Cornwall.

Ice warnings are also in place for all six counties of Northern Ireland, with warnings continuing through to Tuesday morning.

Temperatures could dip as low as -12C (10F) overnight, according to the Met Office, which said there was a chance that central and northern Scotland would be disrupted by snow until Tuesday evening.

Advice about how to stay safe in the cold ranged from suggestions to stay at home where possible and walking like a “penguin”.

Adam Stachura, the policy director at Age Scotland, urged people to stay at home where possible.

He said: “With such cold temperatures and icy conditions ahead, try and make sure you have enough food and any important medications at home to reduce the need for unnecessary and potentially risky trips.

“This is particularly important if you have mobility challenges or are unsteady on your feet.”

The NHS advised people to “waddle like a penguin” to avoid accidents and hospital stays.

“Walking like a penguin helps keep your centre of gravity over your feet, reducing the risk of falls that can lead to serious injuries,” NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said.

“It might look funny, but waddling really works,” Laura Halcrow, the falls prevention lead, added, warning that slipping on ice was dangerous especially for older people.

The NHS has previously suggested that the public “keep their feet on a stool” to stay warm, as well as reminding people to wear socks.

The lowest temperatures recorded overnight into Monday were -10.9C in Shap, Cumbria, -10.3C in Sennybridge, Powys, and -9.9C in Bala, Gwynedd, according to the Met Office.

Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands saw 34cm of snow, while Dyce in Aberdeenshire and Altnaharra, Sutherland, recorded 27cm, the Met Office said.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold health alert that runs until Friday, with an early warning that adverse temperatures were likely to affect health and wellbeing in England.

Agostinho Sousa, the head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours.

He said: “The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”

Temperatures are expected to drop to as low as -5C in Scotland and -4C for large parts of the south on Monday night, with the mercury dropping to -5C in Yeovil.

Heading into the week, temperatures are set to improve, remaining above 0C by Wednesday night in most of England and a milder -2C for most of Scotland, apart from in some isolated locations like Lairg which are set to drop to -6C.

The Met Office said that Monday night would be “very cold with a widespread frost and icy stretches”. The south of the country was expected to stay dry and clear but become “cloudier in the north as a band of snow moves in”.

Its website said Tuesday would be “another cold day with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow across the north”. It was expected to be drier in the south before similar conditions arrived in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to fall to -7C around Oxford on Tuesday and will not rise above 4C in any part of Britain.

Read the full story here.