London braces itself for possible snow as major cold snap follows Tube strike
Week of travel chaos ahead as Met Office forecasts 'wintry showers'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Londoners have been warned they face sleet and snow as temperatures are set to plummet in the second half of the week.
The Met Office announced milder temperatures at the start of the week will give way to bitter cold as “wintry showers” spread across the UK and through the English Channel.
A spokesman for the weather service told the London Evening Standard: “There is a risk of some snow and sleety weather on Thursday and possibly also Friday – mainly in the form of showers.
“It is difficult to gauge how much snow but it looks like a slight covering and it will feel very very cold.
“Temperatures will stay around four or five degrees but a wind chill will make it feel colder.”
As we head into the weekend the chances of snow will recede, giving way to “clear blue skies” on Friday but an Arctic cold wind will mean commuters still need to wrap up warm.
This will be a further blow to the capital’s commuters who are already facing major disruption following a 24-hour strike by members of the RMT union of jobs cuts on the Tube.
The “majority” of Zone 1 stations are expected to be closed with the unaffected lines, such as Tfl rail, Overground and DLR, likely to be far busier than normal as people try to find alternative routes to work.
The cold snap in London mirrors much of Europe as the icy winds bring snow as far south as Turkey and Greece.
In Poland, the mercury has dropped to below -20C and it has got so cold a layer of ice has formed over the Adriatic Sea between Italy and the Balkans.
On Saturday eight deaths in Italy and two in Poland were blamed on the cold. The Polish death toll has now reached 55 since the beginning of November.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments