UK weather live: Heavy snow warnings as 40cm forecast while temperatures of -9C to bring rare freezing rain
Major health warning issued and disruption including travel chaos and power cuts likely as Met Office issues alerts across the country for first weekend in 2025
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Your support makes all the difference.Heavy snow warnings have been issued across the UK, as a cold blast is set to sweep the country over the weekend, bringing sub-zero temperatures, health risks and disruption.
An amber warning for snow and rare freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday, the Met Office said.
Another amber snow alert will then be in place across most of northern England from 9pm on Saturday until close of Sunday.
Up to 40cm of snow is expected in the worst affected areas, while much of the warning area can expect 3cm to 7cm, the Met Office predicted.
Seven yellow weather warnings for snow, ice or rain have also been issued across the UK, covering different periods of time over the weekend and into Monday.
The alerts come after the forecaster confirmed temperatures plunged to as low as -8.6C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire overnight.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a Cold-Health Alert (CHA), warning of an “increase in risk to health”.
The Met Office also warned of likely disruption caused by the weather, including stranded vehicles on the roads, delayed or cancelled rail and air travel, power cuts, and rural communities getting cut off.
Rail problems across Great Britain
On the railways it’s a high-pressure weekend because of many people returning from where they spent Christmas and New Year to their normal places of work and study. With so many intercity trips planned, and the possibility of bad weather intervening, National Rail says: “Check your whole journey before travelling."
The infrastructure organisation Network Rail, says: "During adverse weather we do our best to run a full, normal service, but punctuality may be affected. Weather is classed as ‘adverse’ if any of the below are true:
- 2cm of snow (in London)
- 60mph winds
- temperatures below -3°C"
In Scotland the Inverness to Dingwall line is closed because of landslips, with buses replacing trains to Wick and Thurso. The East Coast main line, which connects Scotland, northeast England and Yorkshire with London King's Cross, has seen a series of problems on Saturday morning including a broken-down train and track inspection.
Elsewhere, there is still festive engineering work going on until Sunday on the London-Southampton main line between Woking in Surrey and Basingstoke in Hampshire, and in the Cambridge area.
Northern trains in northwest England are certain to be disrupted on Sunday – initially because of staff shortage rather than bad weather. Train crew working for the firm west of the Pennines are not obliged to work on Sundays, and many of them choose not to do so.
On the West Coast main line, this is the last weekend until June without a strike by Avanti West Coast train managers, so make the most of it.
Three more new weather warnings issued for tomorrow
The Met Office has issued three more new weather warnings for tomorrow, after it just put in place three fresh alerts for today.
A yellow warning for snow has been issued for from midnight on Saturday until 6am on Sunday.
Meanwhile, a yellow warning for rain will be in place from 6am until 9pm on Sunday across much of Wales.
And a yellow warning for snow and ice will be in place from 9am on Sunday until 6am on Monday across parts of eastern and northern Scotland.
Advice for drivers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
With weather warnings covering most of the UK at various times over the weekend, the AA says: "Proceed with caution and allow plenty of space between you and the car in front to account for increased stopping distances. Take warm layers and keep at least a quarter of a tank of fuel or adequate EV charge in case of unexpected delays.”
Traffic Scotland has warnings to motorists in place right through to Monday morning, saying: "Road users are advised to drive with care due to low temperatures and the risk of ice currently affecting driving conditions on many roads.” Temperatures reached a low of minus 8.6C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire overnight.
The Met Office is warning of the possibility of stranded vehicles because of snow across the Midlands and northwest of England, and Wales – with a foot of snow possible on high ground in mid and north Wales, and even more over the Pennines. Meanwhile Traffic Wales warns that between Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime: “Snow and freezing rain will likely lead to disruption to transport and some other services.”
In Northern Ireland, Trafficwatch NI says up to four inches of snow is possible over the Mournes, Sperrins and Antrim Hills, with ice an additional hazard.
Even when Monday arrives, the AA predicts it will receive at least 14,000 callouts on Monday, the first working day of the year for many people. The expected figure is 50 per cent higher than an average Monday, because many drivers will be returning to vehicles left unused over the festive period during a severe cold snap. On the equivalent day last year (Tuesday 2 January 2024), the AA was called to more than 5,000 vehicles that wouldn’t start or had a flat battery.
All Met Office weather warnings in place today
- A yellow weather warning for snow is currently in place in the Shetland Islands until 6pm on Saturday.
- A yellow weather warning for snow and ice covers much of England from midday on Saturday until the end of the day.
- Most of the Midlands, Wales, and parts of northern England will be covered by an amber warning for snow and ice from 6pm on Saturday until 12pm on Sunday.
- Another amber snow warning will then be in place across northern England and parts of the Midlands from 9pm on Saturday until the end of Sunday.
- A yellow weather warning for ice will be in place across northern Scotland from 4pm on Saturday until 10am on Sunday.
- A snow and ice warning has been issued across much of Northern Ireland from 9pm on Saturday until 6pm on Sunday.
The Independent’s front page: NHS engulfed by flu ‘quad-demic’ as cold snap grips UK
The number of people hospitalised with flu in England has quadrupled in a month, as health chiefs warned that the NHS is under “intense pressure” that will get worse as Britain braces itself for plunging temperatures this weekend.
Figures from NHS England show there were an average of 4,469 flu patients in hospital beds in England each day last week, including 211 in critical care.
This is up 17 per cent from 3,818 the previous week, when 184 were in critical care, and is more than four times the number on 1 December, when the figure was 1,098.
NHS chiefs have warned that flu cases are rising “at a very concerning rate” and that plummeting temperatures this weekend could exacerbate health conditions suffered by the elderly and vulnerable.
The cold snap, which is expected to blanket large swathes of the UK in snow this weekend, prompted health secretary Wes Streeting to urge pensioners to “layer up” and put the heating on, leading to further condemnation of the government’s “dangerous” decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions.
Holly Bancroft, Joe Middleton and Kate Devlin report:
Number of people in hospital with flu quadrupled in a month, NHS figures show
The number of people sick with flu in English hospitals is also up year-on-year
Three more weather warnings issued, bringing total across UK today to six
Three more weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office, bringing the total in place today across the UK to six.
A yellow alert for snow and ice will be in place across much of Northern Ireland from 9pm tonight until 6pm tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a yellow warning for snow is currently in place in parts of northern Scotland until 6pm today.
And a yellow warning for ice will cover parts of northern Scotland from 4pm today until 10am tomorrow.
‘Significant’ snowfall expected - Met Office full forecast
The Met Office’s forecast for the weekend says “significant accumulations of snow” are possible across large parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly, said: “This weekend will bring a range of weather hazards to the UK, notable snow accumulations, freezing rain, ice and heavy rain as well as some gusty conditions.
“We have issued a number of severe weather warnings, including Amber warnings for snow and ice in parts of England and Wales.
“Some significant accumulations of snow are possible across parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England in particular, where 5 cm or more could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 20-30 cm over high ground of mid and north Wales and potentially 30-40 cm over parts of the Pennines.
“This, accompanied by strengthening winds, may lead to drifting of lying snow.”
Temperatures reached low of -9C overnight, Met Office confirms
Temperatures reached a low of minus 8.6C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire overnight, a Met Office spokesperson has confirmed.
Chilly conditions were expected to continue for most of Saturday, today with most places ranging from 2-5C, with highs of 7C in south-west England.
The coldest temperature recorded in January last year was minus 14C, in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands.
Weekend starts with a range of rail problems
The weekend has begun with a series of route closures on the railways, with extreme weather expected to hit travel plans as snow moves in across England and Wales.
In Scotland, “multiple landslips mean line between Inverness and Dingwall, continuing to Wick and Thurso, will remain closed until at least 11am.
The line between Edinburgh and Newcastle is blocked after a person was hit by a train, with services suspended until around 10am.
In Yorkshire, an attempted theft of signalling cables between Leeds and Knottingley means some lines are blocked. “Trains running between these stations via Wakefield may be cancelled or diverted via Castleford,” says National Rail.
Between Slough and Windsor, a train driver has been taken ill and no trains are running.
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