Amber warning issued in south west as London braces for snow with temperatures to plunge to -16C: Weather live
The warning for snow comes amid continued weather disruption at airports and schools across the UK
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Your support makes all the difference.An amber snow warning has been issued for south west England, with up to 10cm snowfall expected in the worst-affected areas.
It comes as London and the south coast braces for snow on Wednesday, with a yellow snow warning covering large areas of southern England until midnight.
Temperatures are also expected to plummet to -16C in the coming days, as snow and ice warnings grip the UK prompting mass school closures and travel disruption, the Met Office said.
Parts of the UK will see “negative double figures in the coldest areas during the next few nights and a few locations may see minimum temperatures as low as minus 16 Celsius,” the forecaster added.
Two other yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for northern parts of Northern Ireland, lasting until 11am on Thursday, and for northern Scotland until 23:59pm on Thursday.
The cold snap will continue until the end of this week, with amber health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency in place across England until midday on Sunday.
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Updated forecast: 2-5cm snow expected widely across southern England
The Met Office’s forecast for Wednesday has been updated on its website.
Chief meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “With low temperatures persisting across southwestern parts of England, sleet or snow will fall to low levels in parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset through Wednesday afternoon and evening.
“At locations above 150 m, 2-5 cm is possible, but over the higher ground of Dartmoor and Exmoor up to 10 cm could accumulate.
“More widely across southern England, a dusting of snow, up to a couple of centimetres, is possible as the system moves eastwards.
“The snow could cause some disruption to the transport network during this evening’s rush hour.”
Hundreds of schools closed today amid snow and ice warnings
Hundreds of schools across the UK have been forced to close after the country was hit by overnight snow and ice.
A number of yellow weather warnings from the Met Office remain in place for large parts of the UK on Wednesday, with the country facing widespread disruption.
Schools and nurseries have had to shut in the first week back after the winter holidays.
Large parts of southern England are covered by a snow warning, including southern parts of London, with up to 10cm of snow expected. Snow and ice warnings are also in place across western and northern areas of the UK from Wednesday into Thursday.
Read the full report:
Full list of school closures across UK as snow and ice warnings issued
A number of severe weather warnings from the Met Office remain in place for large parts of the UK
Met Office graphic shows areas affected by amber snow warning
The Met Office has released a graphic showing the areas which will remain under an amber weather warning for snow until 9pm on Wednesday.
Up to 10cm of snow is expected in the worst affected areas.
What is the difference between yellow, amber and red weather warnings?
Amber warning for snow issued in south west England
An amber weather warning for snow has been issued in south west England, with up to 10cm expected.
The warning was issued at 14:27 and will remain in place until 9pm this evening.
The Met Office warns that a spell of snow will cause travel disruption on Wednesday afternoon and evening, with the chance of power cuts, train cancellations and road problems.
“Sleet and snow is expected to continue this afternoon and evening with accumulations of 2-5cm on high ground above 150m, and up to 10cm above about 250m, leading to some travel disruption,” the forecaster says. “The sleet and snow will ease from the west during the first part of Wednesday night.”
Multiple hospitals declare critical incidents over soaring flu cases as A&E patients face 50 hour waits
Multiple hospitals across England have declared critical incidents amid a soaring number of patients being admitted with flu and other respiratory illnesses.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was “genuinely distressed and ashamed” by the situation faced by patients and staff as the highest alert level was sounded at least 11 hospitals due to high demands in emergency departments.
The UK’s chief emergency doctor, Adrian Boyle, told The Independent that the flu outbreak had “severe consequences” for already overwhelmed hospitals, while the NHS’s top doctor, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said the demand showed “no signs of letting up”.
The rising pressure on wards was also having an impact on waiting times, with a patient at one hospital forced to wait 50 hours.
Rachel Clun reports:
Multiple hospitals declare critical incidents over soaring flu cases
Hospitals in Birmingham, Hampshire, Liverpool, Northamptonshire and Plymouth have declared critical incidents following a surge in patients with respiratory issues
Temperatures to reach -16C, Met Office says
Temperatures will plummet to as low as -16C in the next few nights, the Met Office said.
The forecaster wrote on X: “Temperatures will fall into negative double figures in the coldest areas during the next few nights and a few locations may see minimum temperatures as low as minus 16 Celsius.”
Rain to replace snow amid milder conditions by Sunday
Snowfall is expected to subside going into the weekend, as a front of rain takes over in parts of the UK.
In yesterday’s Met Office weather forecast, deputy chief forecaster Chris Almond said: “By Sunday, milder air will have moved in across much of the UK, meaning rain is more likely than snow as we get to the end of the weekend.
“Northern Ireland and Western Scotland are most likely to see some showery outbreaks of rain and breezy conditions through Sunday, with conditions further south and east drier and more settled,” he added.
‘Severe disruption’ to train and bus services
A number of train services are experiencing “severe disruption” as the UK is gripped by flooding and icy surfaces.
National Rail says poor weather is affecting Great Western Railway (GWR), Northern and Merseyrail services.
Six Northern routes are listed with “severe disruption” and five are suffering “minor disruption”. Merseyrail is also experiencing some disruption.
Flooding in Cornwall has caused a cancellation of the GWR route from Liskeard to Looe.
A number of bus routes are also being diverted in Yorkshire, deu to ice and black ice covering the roads.
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