UK weather live: Britain braces for coldest night of winter so far with temperatures to drop as low as -20C
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.Britain is bracing for its coldest night of the winter so far, with temperatures forecast to plummet as low as -20C in some areas.
Thursday will be another “bitterly cold” night and is expected to be the coldest of the winter, the Met Office said. Temperatures as low as -16C to -20C are possible in Scotland, according to the BBC.
It comes as three fresh weather warnings for ice were issued by the Met Office, with two warnings covering most of England’s east coast, Wales, the Midlands, northwest England, and Northern Ireland until 10am on Friday.
A snow and ice warning for northern Scotland will now last until 10am tomorrow, and a yellow ice warning will cover southwest England and south Wales from 3am until 11am on Friday.
Last night, England, Wales and Northern Ireland all saw their coldest nights of the winter so far last night, with temperatures reaching -11.2C, -7.9C and -7.2C respectively, the Met Office said.
The coldest temperature across the whole UK last night was the -12.4C recorded at Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire - just short of the winter low of 13.3C recorded in the early hours of Monday.
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Explainer | Can and should you walk your dogs in the snow and freezing temperatures?
Temperatures are dropping across the UK with snow weather warnings in place.
Meteorologists had warned that temperatures overnight could have plummeted to as low as minus 8C as a week-long spell of wintry conditions hit the UK.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.
With this news, many will be thinking about how this chilly weather may affect our pets.
It’s important to prepare our dogs, as well as ourselves, for this forecast.
Can and should you walk your dogs in the snow and freezing temperatures?
Tips for how to look after your pets during the cold weather
Tips for driving safely on ice
With parts of the country covered by snow and ice warnings, the Met hasissued advice for how to drive safely on ice.
Only drive if it is absolutely necessary, the forecaster says. If you must drive, follow this advice:
- Looking well ahead for potential hazards and keep your speed down.
- Accelerating, braking, steering and changing gear as smoothly as possible to reduce the risk of a skid.
- Using a higher gear may be more appropriate to help grip on packed ice.
- Using a higher gear helps manage engine power making it easier to find traction.
In pictures: The sun rises over a blanket of snow across the UK
Why is there a cold health alert in place?
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold weather health alert due to the freezing temperatures across the UK this week.
But what does it actually indicate? Here’s what Dr Agostinho Sousa, the head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, says:
“We are extending the duration of our Cold-Health Alert, since the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures we are seeing will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.
“This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.”
Report: Bad weather forces Southampton-bound cruise ship to divert to France
A cruise ship was forced to divert off course to France after sailing into “adverse weather” near the Isle of Wight on Monday (6 January).
AIDA ship AIDAnova had departed Hamburg, Germany for Southampton as part of a seven day cruise on 4 January.
Instead, once reaching Cowes on the Isle of Wight, passengers skipped the Southampton stop and headed straight for Cherbourg, France, after encountering bad weather.
The cruise line said 68-knot (78mph) “wind gusts” were to blame for the port change due to “restricted tug availability”.
After circling off Bonchurch in the English Channel, the vessel turned around in the Solent.
Read the full report by Natalie Wilson:
Bad weather forces cruise ship to divert to France
Gusts of winds up to 78mph caused the port change, said AIDA Cruises
Last night coldest of the winter - but tonight expected to be even colder
Last night was the coldest of the winter so far, with England (-11.2C), Wales (-7.9C) and Northern Ireland (-7.2C) all recording their lowest temperatures thus far.
Scotland recorded the UK’s lowest temperature, with -12.4C at Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire But this was short of the winter low of 13.3C recorded in the early hours of Monday.
Tonight is expected to be even colder, the Met Office says, with temperatures dropping as low as -16C.
Chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Another very cold night is expected tonight with temperatures dipping as low as -16°C where we have lying snow in Scotland and northern England.
“Temperatures will also be well below freezing across much of the UK so there is a continued risk of ice overnight and through Friday morning’s rush hour.”
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Car insurer RAV has seen the highest levels of demand for rescuers throughout a three-day period since December 2022.
Alice Simpson, the RAC breakdown spokeswoman, said: “Cold conditions will last until at least the weekend, so we urge drivers to remain vigilant of the risks posed by ice and, in some locations, snow.
“Black ice on rural roads can be impossible to spot, leaving very little time to react if driving at speed. Sticking to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted is strongly recommended.”
School closures: Find out which are shut in your local authority amid heavy snow and ice weather warnings
Hundreds of schools are closed for the fourth day running as the UK endures an icy blast, with temperatures hitting as low as minus 16C.
Snow and sleet began to hit southern England on Wednesday afternoon as an amber weather warning came into force, with the Met Office saying further warnings are likely to be issued as the week goes on.
Pupils across the country have had their Christmas holidays extended as classrooms have failed to reopen due to flooding, icy conditions and bad weather. With warnings now covering large parts of Wales, Somerset and Cornwall, more areas are likely to face the brunt of Britain’s icy blast on Thursday.
The Met Office had already measured 3cm of snow in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and 2cm in Liscombe, Somerset, by Wednesday evening.
Holly Evans and Albert Toth report:
Find out which schools are shut amid heavy snow and ice
Overnight on Wednesday, temperatures fell to as low as minus 12C at Tulloch Bridge in Scotland
Trains cancelled due to cold weather and flooding
Transport for Wales has closed some rail lines due to damage to the tracks following a period of “heavy wind, rain and snow”.
Buses will replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog until Monday at the earliest.
A signalling fault is also causing major disruption between Crewe and Wilmslow, affecting Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Transport for Wales services.
Flooding means the Great Western Railway line between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall is still closed.
Coldest overnight temperature was 11.2C - Met Office
The coldest recorded temperatures last night was in Shap in Cumbria at minus 11.2C, the Met Office said.
Temperatures had been forecast to plunge as low as minus 16C overnight.
A spokeswoman for the Met OFfice told the PA news agency they are “expecting tonight to be another very cold night”.
Temperatures are set to turn milder from the north west later in the weekend.
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