UK weather forecast: Britain braced for snow, freezing rain and ice as Met Office issues severe warnings

Rare atmospheric phenomenon expected to cause major disruption

Zamira Rahim
Friday 14 December 2018 16:13 GMT
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UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

The Met Office has issued five weather warnings for Saturday as Britain braces for snow, rain and icy conditions

Forecasters expect “heavy freezing rain” to cause significant disruption throughout the day in the run-up to Christmas.

The rare weather event is expected to lead to widespread black ice on roads and pavements and will affect southern Scotland, northern England and the Midlands.

Drivers are advised to avoid travelling unless absolutely necessary, said Nicola Maxey, a spokesperson for the Met Office.

“We have issued an amber warning for the freezing rain,” she said.

“It turns into black ice very quickly, which people won’t be prepared for as they can’t see it.”

“Councils may struggle to grit roads during the day and we are expecting travel disruption because it will be a busy shopping day, with Christmas coming.”

Dangerous driving conditions “likely leading to road traffic collisions, road closures and longer journey times” are expected.

Freezing rain occurs when snow melts as it falls, turning into rain and drizzle which then refreezes.

Ms Maxey also said that that the build up of ice may cause telephone and power cables to snap.

Early winter snow on the Cairngorms in Scotland

A second amber weather warning has been issued for northern parts of Scotland, which will see heavy snow and blizzards that may disrupt travel and infrastructure.

“There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off,” the Met Office said.

A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for most of Scotland and northern England.

Southwest England and south Wales are also likely to experience “severe gales” and strong winds, for which another yellow warning is in place.

A final yellow warning for wind is also in place in Northern Ireland where gales are expected to cause travel disruption and power cuts.

Temperatures will fall to 2C in cities such as Birmingham and Manchester, though conditions will be slightly warmer in London, which will see temperatures of about 4C.

“It will feel colder because of the wind chill,” said Ms Maxey. “It will feel as though it’s about freezing. And temperatures will be lower outside of cities.”

She added that more rural parts of the country could see lows of -6C on Saturday night.

Conditions will improve on Sunday when most of the weather warnings are expected to expire.

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“Sunday will be a mix of sunshine and showers,” said Ms Maxey. “It will be drier in the week.”

Birmingham and Manchester are forecast to see highs of 7C on Sunday.

Londoners may even enjoy temperatures of 8C or 9C.

By Monday morning the worst of the cold weather will have passed.

“The southeast might see some patchy fog and ice on Monday morning,” said Ms Maxey. “But the start of next week is looking more settled.”

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