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The UK and the US have been struck by Arctic conditions in recent days.
From intense snow flurries in western England, Wales and Scotland to the polar vortex freezing Lake Michigan and even people's hair across the Atlantic, it has been mighty cold indeed.
Any sudden encounter with unfamiliar sub-zero temperatures presents new challenges.
Ordinarily matter-of-fact tasks like getting to work begin to feel like the long hike to Mount Doom, with slushy roads and frozen railway tracks causing havoc the length and breadth of the country.
Even breathing in such cold, dry air can feel oppressive.
Show all 62 1 /62Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow covers houses in Gold Hill, in Shaftesbury, Dorset
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures People enjoying a walk through Whitelee Windfarm in North Ayrshire, Scotland
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow Rollers form in a field in Marlborough, Wiltshire. They are a rare meteorological phenomenon in which large snowballs are formed naturally as chunks of snow are blown along the ground by the wind. As they move they pick up snow on the way, in much the same way that the large snowballs used in snowmen are made.
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Two men help a driver try to get his car moving, after snowfalls yesterday and overnight have brought widespread disruption
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow dusts the Angel of the North sculpture and covers the ground surrounding it in Gateshead
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A wintry scene at Nenthead in Cumbria after a band of wintry weather brought hill snow and a risk of ice to large parts of the country
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Children play in the snow in Hartley Wintney, in Hampshire
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A dog walker in a street in Bristol
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures The River Forth in Stirling
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A man walks past the Starbucks Coffee store at the Membury Services on the M4
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A snowplough clears a road near in Shaftesbury, Dorset
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Ice crystals form on the windows of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A couple walk through a frosty landscape near Ashford in Kent
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Ducks on a frozen near Merthyr Tydfil in Wales
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A gate at the entrance to a farm near the village of Moscow in Ayrshire
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures People walk past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Partially frozen water on the River Clunie in Scotland
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A frozen notice board at the allotments in Mudchute farm on the Isle of Dogs
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow on the hills around Buttermere in the Lake District
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A man snowboards at Solomon's Temple in Buxton, Derbyshire
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A couple walk through the Frost in Ashford, Kent
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A woman walks through snow covered trees in Buxton, Derbyshire
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Altrincham, Greater Manchester
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Braemar, Scotland
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures 3 wheel Reliant Robin in the snow off the A6 near the village of Shap in Cumbria
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A red deer grazes in the snow, in Glen Etive, Scotland
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures People skiing along a road in West Didsbury
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A Shetland pony gallops in a field in Tingwall on the Shetland Islands
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Morning fog floats through the valley at Tingwall
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Clare Strode and her 4 year old son Alejandro enjoy sledging on Camp Hill, Woolton
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Sheep surrounded by snow-covered fields near Balado in Fife
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Liverpool Airport which had to temporarily halted flights due to the severe weather
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A husky dog enjoys a walk on Camp Hill, Woolton
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snowmen on the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures People walk along a snow covered road in Altrincham
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures People walk through snow on the banks of the River Cam in Cambridge
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A train at Hunt's Cross station in Liverpool
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A couple walk through a snowy park, in High Wycombe
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A horse in a snowy field in the Divis Mountain area of Belfast
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures An out of service Ulsterbus travels along the Glenshane Pass in after heavy snowfall in Northern Ireland
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Network Rail on the railway in Kyleum, Scotland
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A worker uses a bobcat to clear snow from a sidewalk alongside Nantasket Beach in Hull
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A man walks his dog through the snow in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A snow plough CLEARING TRACKS
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Heavy snow fall in Glasgow's West End
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A woman walks through a snow shower in London
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow covers the ground in Cheshire
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Walkers on a snow-covered path outside the Peak View tea rooms near Macclesfield
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A gritter from the Northern Ireland Department of Infrastructure clears the road during heavy snowfall on the Glenshane Pass
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Surfers take on the big waves at Tynemouth
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Frost covers the grass in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire while deer eat
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow fall on the beach at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures People traverse the frosty river banks at the base of Pen y Fan mountain in the Brecon Beacons
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Walkers make their way along the Long Walk near Windsor Castle
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Farmhouses in Teesdale
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Members of the public make their way through a snow shower in the West End in Glasgow
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A dog walker makes her way along the Long Walk near Windsor Castle
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures A car drives through a snow shower in London
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Heavy snowfall on the Glenshane Pass
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Seagulls on a frozen Marden Quarry in North Tyneside
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow covers the Killhope lead mining museum in County Durham
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Snow and icy conditions hit the UK – Winter weather in pictures Snow showers along the sea front at Whitley Bay
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The effect can be invigorating but it can also cause you to experience a burning sensation in the lungs.
This happens because the air acts as an irritant, causing the muscles to constrict, a phenomenon known as a bronchospasm that can cause chest pain.
Your lungs are used to drawing in humid air warmed through the mouth and nose and the opposite can cause the airways to become inflammed and prove a shock to the system.
Having a pre-existing respiratory condition like asthma or bronchitis can make matters worse, given that they train the muscles to overreact in response to perceived threats like pollen, dust mites or unusually cold air.
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events The sensation is rarely cause for alarm and any discomfort can be mitigated by inhaling through your nose or wrapping a warm scarf around the lower part of your face. Your body will adjust and the air humidify en route to the lungs.
Anyone planning to exercise in the current conditions (good luck with that) are advised to ensure they are properly warmed up and to wear appropriate clothing.
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