In Yorkshire, hundreds of cars were buried under drifting snow after a fatal crash blocked a road in the eastern part of the county, the Yorkshire Post reported. Another 200 cars were stuck on a hill on the York to Hull road.

"The scene was unbelievable," said Nick Grainger, a spokesman for the Humberside Fire Service. "One car skidded and stopped and the others came to a stop behind it, and with the snow blowing off the hills it just turned into a snowdrift in an instant and they were stuck fast."

At least two other people have been killed in car crashes.

Flights into and out of Newcastle Airport were delayed by snow that covered the runways. The weather also affected traffic at Stansted Airport near London.

Forecasters said warm air moving east from the Atlantic is expected to bring relief. While the northern and eastern parts of England were struggling with wintry weather, the high temperature in the southwest was 54 degrees.