Heavy snow caused chaos as trains were delayed and some airport runways temporarily closed.
Gatwick Airport and London City Airport were both temporarily shut as their runways were de-iced.
A number of train services linking London and the south coast were also delayed or cancelled as snow drifted onto the tracks.
And a junction of the London-bound M20 in Kent was temporarily shut due to the treacherous conditions.
An army of snow ploughs and gritters were on standby as much of the UK prepares to be engulfed by "significant and disruptive" snowfall.
Forecasters predicted up to 20cms may fall in some areas as icy winds and heavy snow roll in from the freezing wastes of Russia.
The south east of England and the Pennines will bear the brunt but much of the UK will see heavy snow over the next 48 hours.
The morning and evening rush hours are expected to be disrupted with fears that snow will cause widespread problems on the transport network.
The Met Office issued an extreme weather warning for London and the south east of England as the worst of the weather breaks.
Temperatures plummeted steadily as the freezing easterly winds increased. Snow flurries erupted with increasing regularity throughout the day and by 9pm much of the south east of England was blanketed in snow.
