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First major snowfall this winter as Britain braces itself for

big freeze

A fresh covering of snow sparkles in the winter sunshine in the Findhorn Valley, Scotland, after Arctic winds brought a heavy frost and snow showers. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for most of Scotland and northern England for wind and ice.

Strong winds with gusts of 70mph will batter northern parts of England, and higher ground in Scotland could be blanketed in up to 5cm (2in) of snow.

Arctic winds brought a heavy frost and light snow showers. Traffic Scotland warned of icy conditions across Grampian, Dumfries and Galloway, Strathclyde, the Highlands and the Western Isles. (Rex Features)

The mercury struggled to get above zero as Scotland experienced the beginning of a cold snap expected to last two weeks. (Rex Features)

Snow sprinkled the trees, and according to weather forecasts there is more to come with the whole of the country bracing itself for freezing conditions. (Rex Features)

Snow covered bracken frond, Findhorn Valley, Scotland as Britain welcomed the first snow of the winter. (Rex Features)

Fallen Autumn leaves covered in morning frost in the city of Stirling. (PA)

As the snow began to melt, in Glasgow and Edinburgh the temperature stood at -1C (30.2F) at 6am and 0C (32F) in Aberdeen. (Rex Features)

Motorists were warned of icy conditions across Scotland and the North East as plummeting temperatures and wintry showers affected roads. (Rex Features)

Fresh snow in birch woodland in autumn, Findhorn Valley, Scotland. (Rex Features)

The sun shone through the trees as gale force winds are expected on the West coast of Scotland. (Rex Features)

Sheep stood in the hills above Glenarm in Co Antrim, as the first snowfall of the season covered parts of the province.

Photographer Mark Hamblin snapped these wintery scenes in Scotland where a fresh covering of snow sparkled in the winter sunshine in the Findhorn Valley, Inverness-shire. (Rex Features)

In Grampian, police reported that light snow and low temperatures had affected roads in Moray, Buchan, Kincardine, Garioch and Aberdeen. Tyndrum in the Highlands was the coldest recorded place in Scotland at -5C (23F).

Martian 'winter wonderland' captured by Mars Express orbiter
But the snowy scene captured on Mars might be a little chilly even for Santa Claus: the frost is dry ice, frozen carbon dioxide.

A dusting of 'snow' covers the plains and the floors of the craters - and looks almost Christmassy.

But the 'winter wonderland' captured on Mars might be a little chilly even for Santa Claus: the frost is dry ice, frozen carbon dioxide, dusting the walls of a crater near where the Curiosity Rover is exploring.

Surface temperatures on Mars are often as low as -60 degrees Centigrade - but, just like on Earth, snow is seasonal.

The image was captured by the high-resolution stereo camera on ESA's Mars Express orbiter.

The photograph shows the Charitum Montes region of the Red Planet on 18 June, near to Gale crater, where the Mars Curiosity Rover is exploring.

Charitum Montes are a large group of rugged mountains extending over almost 1000 km and bounding the southernmost rim of the Argyre impact basin.

They can be seen from Earth through larger telescope and were named by Eugène Michel Antoniadi (1870–1944) in his 1929 work La Planète Mars.

The landscape shows huge craters carved by ancient asteroid impacts, with 'snow' and sediment filling some of them.

The 3D image - computer-generated from data from the satellite - shows a breach in a crater wall, sand dunes on the floor of the crater, and 'frost' clinging to them.