The temperature st Shap got as low as minus 14.7 degrees last night.

Here is the latest weather forecast from Alan Goodman, the Met Office Regional Advisor for North West England.

"As promised yesterday last night saw a widespread severe frost across the northwest. Below are a selection of minimum temperatures as recorded at 6am this morning. Note the final figures may be even lower as December minima can often occur well after 6am.

Carlisle -10.1C

Keswick -10.4C

Shap -14.7C

Spadeadam -12.8C

Blackpool Airport -8.3C

Preston Moor Park -9.1C

Rochdale -9.7C

Manchester (Hulme) -6.7C

Woodford -14.7C

Hawarden -10.2C

Manchester Airport -12C

John Lennon Airport -5C

"Today's forecast is inherently more complex than the past few days as attention moves away from the east and reverts back to the west.

"Needless to say another very cold day with max temps inland either at or below freezing. On the coast they should eventually get a little above freezing, especially Morecambe Bay and Cumbria.

"The remnants of a band of showers over the Irish Sea are now getting pushed back to our shores and could give some early snow flurries/showers in parts of Merseyside and the western half of Lancashire. Otherwise it should be dry for a time today.

"From late morning onwards patchy sleet/snow (all snow inland) will reach Cumbria and spread erratically southeastwards across the region during the course of the afternoon and evening. Amounts of precipitation could vary considerably so allow for anything between 0 and, say 5 to 6cm (higher amounts over the higher ground inland), with perhaps as much as 10 or more centimetres over the Cumbrian Fells.

"Hopefully with ground surfaces so cold it will stay as snow but I can't guarantee this and some sleet or even rain may occur, especially towards the coast. "This could produce some very icy conditions later today, something to bear in mind.

"As the main area of precipitation moves on this evening so further showers may follow overnight to Cumbria, Lancashire and possibly also Merseyside and Greater Manchester. These are likely to comprise an awkward mix of rain, sleet and snow, mainly rain on the coast, snow on higher ground and sleet/snow inland at lower levels.

"Towards the coast air temperatures may well get above freezing overnight but ground temperatures may still be at or below. Hence, even with rain showers there is a significant risk of icy stretches developing, the situation compounded by the fact that the rain will naturally tend to wash grit/salt off the roads.

"Well inland temperatures will stay mostly just below freezing. A potentially nasty night if you're out and about with the key message beware of ice.

"Tomorrow - a slightly milder, albeit a mostly grey, dismal day with extensive low cloud, temperatures creeping up to between 1 and 4 Celsius, highest on the coast. So some thawing of lying snow/ice but a slow process.

"Walking conditions on untreated pavements could be particularly unpleasant where snow turns icy or where rain/sleet has fallen onto old snow. There may be further patchy mostly light rain/sleet at low levels with any snow mostly above say 300 metres.

"All this should clear away in the evening with the cloud breaking to give another widespread frost on Saturday night with any wet surfaces freezing to give further ice problems into Sunday morning.

"Sunday itself should be a much better day weatherwise, dry and bright with some sunshine but still very cold with daytime temperatures reaching typically between 1 and 3 Celsius.

"And into next week with the air coming down from a mainly northerly point the ongoing cold spell looks set to continue on.