Travel latest: Walker plucked from snow by mountain rescuers near Sheffield as blanket of snow covers Yorkshire

Commuters faced rush hour misery as the weather briefly closed the Snake Pass in South Yorkshire and caused tailbacks on main roads into Leeds.

A combination of snow and a series of minor accidents slowed traffic on the M62 and M621, and conditions were said to be “hazardous” on the cross-Pennine stretch of the M62.

Trains between Sheffield and London were hit by delays, but most early local services were running normally.

Pool Bank near Otley, and the A658 Harrogate Road at Pool in Wharfedale were among the local roads hardest hit by the weather.

There were major delays on the A65 from Ilkley to Leeds, with drivers reporting journeys of an hour just to move from Rawdon to Horsforth.

Horsforth School delayed its opening until later this morning and the Lighthouse Free Academy is closed all day due to adverse weather.

There were also major delays to flights at Leeds Bradford Airport, which was temporarily closed. Six centimetres of snow fell overnight at the airport, with gritters and ploughs being used this morning to clear runways and surrounding roads.

An elderly man was located by mountain rescue volunteers after he got lost during the worsening weather.

South Yorkshire Police said a search operation was launched on Tuesday evening after the 77-year-old strayed from a path around Langsett Reservoir, north of Sheffield.

A spokesman said the terrible weather conditions meant helicopters could not be used and mountain rescue teams were called in to help.

Inspector Simon Owens said: “Without the massive help offered from Mountain Rescue, who sent 30 people out to help us look for this vulnerable man, this man may have succumbed to the cold weather.

“Thanks to them, the man was found a couple of hours later - cold but uninjured.

“They helped us save a life yesterday evening and I wish to publicly thank them for their support.”

Highways England issued a severe weather alert, urging motorists in the North of England and the Midlands to check conditions before setting out and ensure they have a winter kit in their vehicles.

And commuters took to social media to warn of difficult conditions from Leeds, through the Yorkshire Dales to County Durham.

West Yorkshire Police tweeted: “#snow falling in the county this morning. Please take usual precautions. Take extra time for your journey.”

But predictions of accumulations of up to 6in (15cm) of snow in some Pennine areas appear to have been misguided.

The Met Office issued a yellow Be Aware warning for much of the west of Scotland, the north-eastern tip of Wales, parts of the North West and North East of England, and down into the Midlands, which was due to expire mid-morning on Wednesday.

It said: “This could bring accumulations of 4cm-8cm (1.6in-3.2in) across some hilly areas of northern England and Scotland, largely above 200m-300m, with as much as 15cm (6in) possible above 300m-400m.”

The warning continued: “However, there is also the potential for 5cm-10cm (2in-4in) of snow to settle to low levels over parts of Yorkshire and down into the north-east Midlands, though with a good deal of uncertainty about this. Please be aware of the potential for difficult driving conditions in some areas.”

On Tuesday, the AA said it had experienced its busiest day of the year so far with more than 10,000 calls. Many drivers had flat batteries and other cold weather-related problems.