Snow began falling in parts of southern England late yesterday, prompting fears of ice and disruption in today’s rush hour.

There was expected to be a covering of up to six centimetres in some areas.

Paul Mott, a senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “We are starting to see some snow in the south Midlands and over the hills of Surrey.

“There was snow earlier today over parts of Scotland and northwest England, mostly over the hills. We expect to see snow over northern parts of southern England, north of London, up towards the Midlands, and North Wales, and there are likely to be 2cm-5cm of snow in places overnight.” The falls are expected to stop today, but the accumulations could still cause widespread disruption for several commuters.

More light flurries are predicted for today and tomorrow, after which the rest of the week is expected to turn milder.

Thousands of passengers have been stranded in America after flights to Britain were grounded when a massive snowstorm hit the US east coast. Heathrow Airport said 10 inbound flights – all from New York and Boston – were cancelled yesterday, as was one outbound flight, to Washington.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Air Canada were all forced to cancel flights yesterday, Heathrow said.

Passengers were advised to check with their airlines to see if their flights are affected.