Storm Darcy – live: Snow warnings issued as Beast from the East II closes vaccine centres
Up to 30cm of snow has been forecast
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Your support makes all the difference.Wintery conditions look set to stay for most of the UK as the Beast from the East II lingers on into the start of the week.
The Met Office have warned of potential travel disruption in parts of England, with amber weather warnings in place for London and the southeast, as well as the area surrounding Sheffield and Nottingham.
Several vaccination centres were forced to shut in Suffolk and Essex, with the Essex Partnership University NHS Trust advising people: "If you would prefer not to travel in poor weather conditions, you can rearrange your appointment.”
Meanwhile, Public Health England (PHE) have issued a cold weather alert, in place until Wednesday, and are urging people to check on frail or older relatives and neighbours, especially those living alone.
The bitterly cold conditions are a result of easterly winds coming in from Scandinavia, Russia and Ukraine. These have combined with a weather front named Storm Darcy and are now causing freezing temperatures in the UK.
A “code red” emergency has been declared by authorities in the Netherlands following the snow storm.
Storm Darcy is the first snow storm that the country has experienced in more than a decade with Dutch weather forecasting website Weer.nl saying: “It is the first snowstorm in a long time: the last snowstorm took place in January 2010.”
The country experienced winds of up to 90km (55 miles) an hour with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 5C in parts of the country.
Dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport while trains across the country were cancelled. In The Hague a tram derailed and in Amsterdam tram services have been stopped.
There have also been reports of more than 80 cars skidding off the roads, with motorists advised against travelling.
Dutch Prime minister Mark Rutte, has said that ice skating will be allowed in the Netherlands if the canals freeze over.
The canals haven’t frozen since 2018 but with up to 10 days of sub-zero daytime temperatures forecast, there are hopes that they could freeze.
People are being urged to follow social distancing, should temperatures drop low enought for ice skating to begin.
Meanwhile, hopes have been dashed that a 200 kilometer (124 miles) ice skating marathon, known as the Elfstedentocht, could happen for the first time since 1997.
Authorities have said that it would not comply with coronavirus restrictions and that even should conditions be favourable, it will not be allowed to take place.
The Elfstedentocht, a 200km (124mile) Dutch ice skating competition, hasn't been held in the Netherlands for 24 years.
Climate change has led to the race taking place in Austria in recent years.
Freezing temperatures this week from Storm Darcy have meant that conditions for Dutch skaters may finally be favourable to race in their own country, but coronavirus restrictions look set to put a stop to this.
In an open letter to the Dutch skating federation, skating clubs urged the federation to adapt the rules to the extreme cold, allowing the competition to take place.
According to DutchNews.nl, they wrote: "Every self-respecting marathon skater knows that natural ice is a rule-breaker. If there is natural ice in the Netherlands we drop everything and make sure we’re ready, because otherwise it’s gone."
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