The Daily Telegraph reported that heavy snow and high winds in Scotland Friday forced schools to close and left drivers stranded on a major highway for 17 hours. Rail service in the Highlands was disrupted by the blizzard.

Electricity was restored to all but 5,000 by Friday morning as about 45,000 homes were without power Thursday.

The A9, the major road to the north, was closed in several places. Hundreds of people spent a frigid night on a 25-mile section of the highway in Perthshire, stuck for 17 hours overnight.

The Glencoe Mountain ski center had a heavier fall of new snow this week than any other ski resort worldwide, its operators reported in Scotland.

South of the border in England, forecasters warned heavy rains predicted for the weekend could cause river flooding. Warnings were issued for two rivers in Northern England, but the weather service said flooding was likely to be worse in the south.

Forecasters have predicted that high tides combined with stormy weather put the east coast and some of the south coast of England at risk of coastal flooding. (With Input From Agencies)