UK weather: Ice warnings issued by Met Office as floods give way to freezing cold

Temperatures could drop as low as minus 10C over the next few days as wintery weather follows on from storm Christoph which brought flooding to the northwest of England and Wales.  

A Met Office yellow weather warning for ice has been issued. This will affect Wales, Northern Ireland, northwestern England and parts of Scotland. It is currently in place and will remain until 10:00am Friday.

Preparations are underway for further wet weather next week after homes were flooded following days of heavy rain caused by storm Christoph, the environment secretary, George Eustice, has said.

Care home residents were among those evacuated due to floods in several areas across the northwest and Wales.

Three severe flood warnings – meaning danger to life – remain in place on Friday morning on the River Dee at Farndon, Bangor-on-Dee and the Lower Dee Valley near Llangollen.

A further yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for the Highlands and Cairngorms. The Met Office states: “Heavy snow and strong winds will bring blizzard conditions at times and cause travel disruption.”

But Mr Eustice said authorities are monitoring river levels in Yorkshire and preparing for more rain expected next week.

He said flooded properties are a "real tragedy" for anyone affected, with around 70 homes flooded in the recent adverse weather.

He told BBC Breakfast: "It is incredibly disruptive when people have their homes flooded, but around 26,000 homes have been protected from the various flood defence assets we have had in place.

"We have got 600 people on the ground putting up temporary barriers [and] using pumps in areas of Manchester where there were particular flood challenges.

"We are particularly monitoring the situation in Yorkshire as the water moves through those river systems and, of course, preparing as well for next week where later next week more rain is expected."

He said around £2.5bn has been spent on flood defences over the last five years.

On Friday, northwesterly winds will bring snow to parts Scotland, but it will generally be a dry day for most. Wales and southwest England may see some showers as the day progresses, while eastern England will stay dry and bright.

Temperatures will be low throughout the UK with daytime highs of 7C in the south and 3C forecast for parts of Scotland.

A Met Office forecaster said that the weather is going to be "more wintry now" as the storm moves away.

Meteorologist Craig Snell explained: "We're losing the rain but gaining some colder and possibly some wintry weather too."

This colder weather will continue into the weekend and there could even be a dusting of snow in the south.

Mr Snell suggested that weekend temperatures could reach as low as minus 10C overnight in parts of Scotland and that in parts of England, they could drop as low as minus seven.

He added: "I think the main thing for most of us will be that we will see some frosty nights and with the ground wet from the rain we've had, we may well see some icy patches."