UK braced for icy blast with temperatures set to plummet as low as minus 16C
Temperatures are set to drop sharply, with lows of minus 16C possible in Scotland and northern England overnight on Thursday.
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Your support makes all the difference.The UK is braced for an icy blast, with temperatures set to plummet as low as minus 16C.
Snow and sleet began to hit southern England on Wednesday afternoon as an amber weather warning came into force, with the Met Office saying further warnings are likely to be issued as the week goes on.
Police in Devon and Cornwall have urged drivers to wait until the snow passes to carry out their journeys, unless they are absolutely necessary.
Parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset were included in the amber snow warning, which was in place until 9pm on Wednesday.
Significant travel disruption was caused in Devon and Cornwall on Wednesday, with some roads closed and motorists stationary for “long periods of time”, a joint statement from Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon County Council Highways said.
Snow ploughs became stuck in queues of traffic caused by “minor incidents”, the statement added.
The Met Office had measured 3cm of snow in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and 2cm in Liscombe, Somerset, by Wednesday evening.
Overnight, temperatures are set to drop sharply, with lows of minus 14C possible in Scotland and northern England on Wednesday and sub-zero temperatures expected across the country.
Minimum temperatures of minus 16C could be reached on Thursday night, the Met Office said.
Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office, told the PA news agency it will be “bitterly cold” on Thursday night.
He said the lowest temperatures will be recorded in rural Scotland and rural northern England where there is lying snow, cloudless skies and very cold airflow.
A temperature of minus 14C would equal the lowest seen in this month last year, recorded in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands on January 17 2024.
But a temperature of minus 16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, since minus 22.3C was logged in Altnaharra in the Highlands on January 8 2010, according to Met Office data.
Lows of minus 20C have not been reached since minus 23C was recorded at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in February 2021.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday.
Amber alerts issued on Thursday have been extended and will now run until January 12, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: “We are extending the duration of our Cold-Health Alert, since the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures we are seeing will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.
“This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”
As icy conditions persist, motorists are being urged to stick to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted.
Car insurer RAC said it has seen the highest levels of demand for rescues in a three-day period since December 2022.
“Cold conditions will last until at least the weekend, so we urge drivers to remain vigilant of the risks posed by ice and, in some locations, snow,” said RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson.
“Black ice on rural roads can be impossible to spot, leaving very little time to react if driving at speed. Sticking to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted is strongly recommended.”
The Met Office yellow weather warning for snow covering southern counties of England remains in place until midnight on Wednesday.
A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for northern Scotland until midnight on Thursday and another snow and ice warning is in force for Northern Ireland until 11am on Thursday as sleet and snow showers are set to continue.
Meanwhile, a yellow fog warning has been issued for Northern Ireland until 9am on Thursday.
A further yellow warning for snow and ice affecting Cornwall, much of Wales and parts of north-west England has also been issued from 00.15am until 11am on Thursday.
And a new yellow ice warning has been issued for parts of southern England and south-east Wales between 00.15am and 10.30am on Thursday.
The Met Office has warned that snow and icy patches in these areas could lead to some travel disruption.
Disabled retiree Allan Fawcett, 77, said he had been stuck in his cul-de-sac in Yeadon, West Yorkshire, since Sunday due to the snow, although his 74-year-old wife had managed to go out to buy necessities.
He told the PA news agency: “I’m frustrated. I’m disabled, I can barely walk 10 yards without being in pain and I rely on my car to get about – it’s a lifeline to me.
“I’ve got an automatic car and it just won’t move as we’ve got about three inches of snow and below that, there’s about two inches of solid packed ice.”
The country has been hit by widespread flooding in recent days and a danger to life flood warning was issued for Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire as firefighters had to rescue dozens of people stranded in rising water.
Scores of flood warnings and alerts remain in place for England but more than 200 have been removed in the last 24 hours and the weather is set to be drier over the next few days.
“Much of the UK is seeing a much drier day and some bright conditions away from coasts,” Mr Claydon said on Wednesday.
“In those flood-affected areas it is a much better, drier picture.”
But Deena Ingham, who lives on a canal boat in Barrow upon Soar, said she and her husband have not been able to leave their boat since Monday evening because of the severe flooding.
The couple, who live 200m above Proctors Pleasure Park, which was evacuated by emergency services on Monday evening, said the water levels on Pillings Lock, where their boat is moored, reached a record 2.52m on Tuesday morning.
“We can’t move because the river is in no navigation mode, because it’s in flood,” Mrs Ingham, a freelance journalist, told the PA news agency.
“We’re far more fortunate than many. We’ve got wood. We’ve got the stove on.”
One flood warning is in place for the River Wye at Monmouth and four flood alerts are in place for the rest of Wales on Wednesday, Natural Resources Wales said.
Mr Claydon said the weather will get gradually milder over the next few days.
“Certainly by the end of the weekend we’re moving to a milder air mass and it’ll slowly get introduced across the UK through Sunday,” he said.
“By Monday, the UK will broadly be in a milder air mass and we’ll see some rain moving in from the North West into parts of western Scotland and potentially Northern Ireland as well.”