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As it happenedended
6 years ago

UK weather: Transport disrupted and schools closed as Britain hit by big freeze

Met Office warns of icy conditions on coldest day of the week

Jon Sharman,Adam Forrest
Wednesday 23 January 2019 11:00 EST
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UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

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The Met Office warned of more snow and icy conditions across Britain on Wednesday, with falling temperatures expected make it the chilliest day of the week.

Motorists were urged to be extra careful on the roads, with police in North Yorkshire warning of “incredibly bad driving conditions” overnight.

The wintry conditions were ealso expected to cause some disruption to rush-hour rail services, and several schools were closed in Buckinghamshire because of the snow.

Northern parts of the UK woke up to temperatures of -2C and in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the overnight temperature dropped to -10.2C.

Temperatures were set to climb to only 3C or 4C across much of the country in the afternoon. While coastal regions were warned to expect more snow and sleet showers throughout the day, most of the inland snow was restricted to hilly areas.

Passengers on a Merseyrail train were stuck on board for more than two hours after it broke down, the Liverpool Echo reported.

About 19 passengers had to walk along the tracks between Hillside and Ainsdale after their train broke down – having had to go back on itself when it got stuck behind another broken-down train, passenger Will Reed told the paper.

On Friday forecasters expect it to be breezy, “often cloudy but milder”, according to the Met Office, with fog in hilly areas and patchy rain. On Saturday the wind will get stronger and heavy rain is expected. Sunday will be colder and brighter, though windy and with some wintry showers.

Winter was due to continue next week, the Met Office said.

On its website, meteorologists said that on Monday, “cold and showery conditions are expected” potentially accompanied by snow, moving eastward across the country; Tuesday is expected to be similar.

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Forecasters added: “Beyond there, the broad signal is for the unsettled period of the weather to continue, with further bands of rain and hill snow moving east or southeast across the UK, interspersed with brighter showery interludes.

“Snow remains a risk, mostly in the north, but perhaps further south too, and frosts could be quite widespread.

“There is still a chance that even colder conditions may develop later in the period with winds swinging round to the east or northeast, bringing an increased possibility of snow.”

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6 years ago

A little more on how the weather is expected to progress (in very general terms) towards the weekend.

On Friday forecasters expect it to be breezy, "often cloudy but milder", according to the Met Office, with fog in hilly areas and patchy rain.

On Saturday the wind will get stronger and heavy rain is expected. Sunday will be colder and brighter, though windy and with some wintry showers.

Jon Sharman23 January 2019 14:27
6 years ago

Winter will continue next week, the Met Office confirms.

On its website, meteorologists said that on Monday, "cold and showery conditions are expected" potentially accompanied by snow, moving eastward across the country; Tuesday is expected to be similar.

Forecasters added: "Beyond there, the broad signal is for the unsettled period of the weather to continue, with further bands of rain and hill snow moving east or southeast across the UK, interspersed with brighter showery interludes.

"Snow remains a risk, mostly in the north, but perhaps further south too, and frosts could be quite widespread.

"There is still a chance that even colder conditions may develop later in the period with winds swinging round to the east or northeast, bringing an increased possibility of snow."

Jon Sharman23 January 2019 14:59
6 years ago

The Bucks War Memorial, in memory of those killed in the Boer War, is seen on Coombe Hill as some areas of the United Kingdom see the first snow of the year (Leon Neal/Getty) 

Jon Sharman23 January 2019 15:22
6 years ago

Cyclists on Twitter have reported injury and potential hazards from black ice affecting the roads this morning.

One, Andrew Worsley, suffered a suspected fractures wrist after encountering the dangerous frozen spots in Manchester, while one Bournemouth resident asked council gritters to focus on a cycle path after spotting patches there.

Jon Sharman23 January 2019 15:45

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