Weather latest: Met Office snow warnings issued for tonight as blast of freezing temperatures hits UK
Cold snap set to grip country with snow possible across large areas over weekend
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Your support makes all the difference.The Met Office has warned swathes of the UK to expect more ice and snow on Thursday, as the UK faces a cold snap in the first week of 2025.
Two new yellow weather warnings will come into place on Thursday afternoon, with Britons told to expect icy conditions and delays to their journeys until at least Friday morning.
The first warning for snow and ice will come into place at 4pm on Thursday for northeast Scotland, while the second yellow warning for ice will begin at 5pm across northwest Scotland, northwest England and parts of Northern Ireland.
A three-day yellow snow warning will soon follow, as most of England, southern Scotland and all of Wales are told to brace for snow from noon on Saturday until Monday morning.
Travel delays and power cuts are likely in the most affected areas of the Midlands, Wales and northern England, which could see anything between 5cm and 30cm of snow.
It comes as devastating scenes of flooding were seen in Manchester on New Years Day, with Greater Manchester Police declaring a major incident.
Met Office’s forecast for New Year’s Day evening
The Met Office has forecast rain before plunging temperatures and icy conditions overnight.
In a post on social media this evening, the forecaster said: “Rain in the south and southeast gradually clearing this evening.
“Clear spells following behind with wintry showers in areas exposed to the northerly breeze.
“Turning rather cold with frost and ice forming overnight.”
Crawley-Charlton clash postponed as wet weather hits football fixtures
Charlton’s Sky Bet League One visit to Crawley on New Year’s Day was postponed close to kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch.
Crawley said at 2.15pm that the referee was taking another look at the condition of the pitch with rain falling heavily in West Sussex.
Both clubs announced on social media at 2.40pm that the sell-out fixture had been called off.
“Unfortunately, this afternoon’s match against Charlton has been postponed owing to a waterlogged pitch at the Broadfield Stadium,” Crawley said on their X account.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will be back in touch with more communication regarding tickets in due course.”
Addicks manager Nathan Jones told CharltonTV: “We’re disappointed, we would like to have played it for every reason.
“One end of the pitch was good and it surprised us it was off. The referee made the decision the bottom end of the pitch wasn’t playable.
“To be fair to the referee he gave it every opportunity and said it was only going to get worse. He said if he couldn’t finish it he was very reluctant to start it.”
Full story: Three day snow warning as UK starts 2025 with heavy rain, flood alerts and a major incident
Britain has rung in the New Year with heavy downpours and severe flooding with significant snowfall expected this weekend as the temperature is set to plummet in the first week of 2025.
A number of Met Office alerts are in place across large swathes of the UK and more than 170 flood warnings have been put in place across England, Scotland and Wales.
A three-day snow warning has been issued for almost all of England and Wales and parts of Scotland this weekend as the Met Office has warned rural communities could become cut off.
Read the full story here:
Three day snow warning as UK starts 2025 with rain, flood alerts and a major incident
A three-day snow warning has been issued for almost all of England and Wales and parts of Scotland
More than 180 flood warnings and alerts issued across UK
More than 180 flood warnings and alerts have been issued across the UK.
The Environment Agency (EA) currently has in place 53 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 90 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, across England.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued 15 flood warnings and four flood alerts in Scotland as of Wednesday evening
And Natural Resources Wales has in place seven flood warnings and 17 flood alerts across Wales.
Revellers brave wind, rain and grey skies to watch New Year’s Day Parade
A loud bang, a burst of red, white and blue confetti and lots of cheering marked the start of the rain-soaked and delayed London New Year’s Day Parade.
Hundreds of umbrellas went up at the time the parade, which was delayed by 30 minutes, was due to begin as a heavy downpour drenched revellers. They were greeted by strong gusts, grey skies, rain and a chill in the air plus bagpipers who powered through their playlists despite the bad weather.
Brass bands and bagpipers kicked off the festivities, soon followed by a guitar band who sang the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.
DJs, who were dressed in plastic hooded raincoats, blasted the sunny party sounds of calypso from an open-top bus and a cheerleading troupe put on a show.
More than 10,000 performers from across the globe, including singer Peter Andre, took part in the parade which covered a two-mile route through London’s West End.
The “more than frisky” wind conditions, which meant no inflatable cartoon characters could be used, had been a safety concern, according to parade spokesman Dan Kirkby.
He said: “Hundreds of thousands of people turned up. I would suggest it is one of the best parades we have ever had, particularly given the conditions. We showed a little stiff upper lip.”
Mr Kirkby added: “It has all been a moment of wonderment and a point in time where the world could see that London is a city with people of all cultures, has a sense of humour about itself and has a terrific spirit.”
Pictured: Man trapped in car amid flooding in north west
Where snow could hit UK on New Year’s Day as temperatures drop to -1C
Britons are bracing for a week of snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures, which will hit below freezing in some areas on New Year’s Day.
Fresh weather warnings for snow were also issued by the Met Office on Wednesday, including a three-day yellow warning covering almost all of England, Wales, and southern Scotland over the weekend.
The yellow snow warning will be in place from 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday, and the Met Office said travel delays and power cuts should be expected in the worst affected areas of the Midlands, Wales and northern England - which could see anything between 5cm and 30cm of snow.
There is a “fair bit of uncertainty” as to how far north the snow will spread and how long it will last, the forecaster says, but “significant accumulations of snow are possible”.
Read the full report:
Where could snow hit UK on New Year’s Day as temperatures drop to -1C
Met Office issues numerous weather warnings across country with large parts of the UK affected on New Year’s Day
Heavy rain causes canal to breach for first time since 1971
Heavy rain has caused a canal to breach in the civil parish of Dunham Massey, Greater Manchester.
It is the first time the canal has been breached since 1971, according to Altrincham Today.
In pictures: Dramatic weather on the south coast
Wind warning lifted in southern UK
A yellow weather warning for wind which covered the southern half of the UK, including Wales, has now been lifted.
The warning was in place until 3pm on Wednesday and saw some areas battered with winds up to 75mph causing “small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris”.
Two yellow weather warnings remain in place until 10am tomorrow, for snow and ice in northern Scotland and for ice in northern England, Northern Ireland and the rest of Scotland.
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