UK weather – latest: Snow and ice warnings as Brits warned conditions ‘worse rather than better’
Saturday and Sunday slapped with fresh set of alerts for snow and ice
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Britain has been warned of more snow and ice this weekend after temperatures plummeted to -10C overnight.
Conditions are “actually going to get worse rather than better”, said Andrew Page-Dove of the National Highways, as there is risk of freezing rain on the roads after Storm Larisa.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for snow and ice which cover large swathes of the country.
Met Office meteorologist Matthew Box said rain, sleet and snow will push northeast across the country during the weekend, likely falling on the hills and mountains of the Pennines, the Cumbrian vales and some parts of Scotland.
But added snowfall would be “nothing to the same extent as what we saw on Thursday”.
It comes after persistent snowfall caused “absolute carnage” on the M62 trans-Pennine motorway on Friday.
Storm Larisa brought with it “treacherous conditions”, with 50mph winds and up to 40cm of snow forecast in some areas.
How does the day look today
•Mild with rain in the far southwest
• A snowy day for some in central parts
•Best of the sunshine will be in the far north
More in this map issued by Met Department:
Heavy snow and blizzard to hit Britain as Arctic blast hits
The UK is preparing for blizzard conditions as heavy snowfall is set to hit central and northern England on Thursday.
The Met Office issued an amber weather warning for the area between Stoke-on-Trent and Durham, warning of strong winds and blizzard conditions.
The warning will remain in place for 21 hours from 3pm on Thursday until 2pm on Friday.
My colleague Stuti Mishra has more:
UK weather: Heavy snow and blizzard to hit Britain as Arctic blast hits
Heavy snow to cause “significant disruption” across UK on Thursday and Friday
Drivers told to go carefully as snow forecast across all counties
Drivers have been urged to exercise caution and to expect disruption as snow and ice are expected across the country from Thursday.
Forecasters have issued a yellow snow warning for all counties, which comes into effect overnight.
Met Eireann said rain, sleet and snow will spread north across the country, with snow expected in many areas, along with icy conditions.
Report:
Drivers told to go carefully as snow forecast across all counties
Rain, sleet and snow is expected to spread north across the country overnight.
ICYMI: UK braces for strong winds bringing blizzard conditions and travel disruption
The UK is set to experience severe snowstorms and travel disruption on Thursday, forecasters have warned.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for “strong winds bringing blizzard conditions” and up to 40cm of snow to the area stretching from Stoke-on-Trent to Durham.
Wednesday night is expected to be cold, with temperatures around minus 1C in south-east England, and as low as minus 13C in northern Scotland.
More in this report:
Drivers told to go carefully as snow forecast across all counties
Rain, sleet and snow is expected to spread north across the country overnight.
In pictures: Snow carpets Bedfordshire as Artic blast hits
UK 5 day weather forecast
The Met Office has published a fresh five-day forecast as “blizzard conditions” descend on Britain today.
Here’s its latest outlook:
Headline:
Heavy snow over parts of northern England later today.
Today:
Cold, cloudy, windy and unsettled for many today. Spells of rain will affect southern UK. Further north, spells of snow will affect parts of Wales, the Midlands, northern England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland. Northern Scotland brighter with snow showers.
Tonight:
Further snow across parts of Wales, the Midlands, northern England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, heaviest snow northern England. Rain at times in the far south. Windy.
Friday:
Early rain and snow across England and Wales clearing southwards, sunshine following with snow showers in the east. Sunny spells Scotland and Northern Ireland, but a snow showers too. Cold.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday:
After a cold start to Saturday, turning milder but unsettled for most with rain and strong winds. Remaining colder in the far north, with some further snowfall.
Rain, sleet and snow across West Midlands and Wales, radar shows
Coldest March night for 13 years as temperatures drop to -16C
Temperatures in the UK plummeted to -16C on Wednesday night, making it the coldest March night in 13 years, forecasters say.
The low was recorded in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands, also making it the coldest night of the year so far, the Met Office said.
It marks the lowest temperature in the UK in the month of March since 2010, when minus 18.6C was recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.
Seven flooding alerts issued across England and Wales
The Environment Agency has issued five alerts for locations on the south coast of England, and for residents between Putney Bridge and Teddington Weir along the River Thames in London, where flooding is “possible”.
Natural Resources Wales has given two similar warnings for the North Wales coast, along with the Lleyn Peninsula and Cardigan Bay coastline.
New amber warning issued for ‘persistent, heavy’ snow
Another “severe” weather warning for “persistent, heavy” snow has been issued for parts of the UK after temperatures plunged to a new record low.
The amber warning covers swathes of Wales and the West Midlands, and will remain in place between 12pm today and 9am on Friday.
“Significant disruption” to transport, power lines and phone network coverage is likely, the Met Office said in an update this morning.
What to expect
- Travel delays on roads, stranding some vehicles and passengers
- Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely
- There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off
- Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
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