UK weather live: Snow and ice warnings across country as cold snap could see temperatures hit -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.An amber snow warning has been issued for south west England, with up to 10cm snowfall expected in the worst-affected areas.
Snow, ice and fog yellow weather warnings have been issued for areas across the UK on Thursday, which come after snow and sleet caused disruption on Wednesday.
Temperatures may plummet to -20C in the coming days, the BBC reported, as snow and ice warnings grip the UK prompting mass school closures and travel disruption.
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 Met Office said.
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.
Full list of school closures across UK as snow and ice warnings issued
Snow mapped: Where freezing weather and flooding will hit UK with more snow forecast
Deadly winter storm forces more than 12,000 flight cancellations and delays with more airport chaos expected
More than 100 flood warnings in force with more rain, sleet and snow on way
‘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.
Hundreds of areas at risk of flooding
Hundreds of areas have been issued flood warnings and alerts in England and Wales.
The Environment Agency, which addresses flood risk in England, has issued 84 flood warnings and 156 flood alerts. Natural Resources Wales has issued one flood warning and four alerts for Wales.
Temperatures could plummet to -15C overnight
Temperatures could hit as low as -15C on Thursday night with “potentially the lowest temperatures of the Winter so far”.
Chris Almond, deputy chief forecaster of the Met Office, said -15C temperatures are possible in areas with lying snow in Scotland or northern England.
He added: “In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK. This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.”
Met Office weather graphic displays Wednesday forecast
A Met Office weather graphic shows the icy weather forecast for Wednesday, with large areas of southern England bracing for snowfall.
“Another cold afternoon with snow, sleet and rain across southern England and the snow settling in places,” the forecaster wrote on X.
“Many other areas will stay dry with the best of the sunshine in the north. Wintry showers in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland, especially in coastal regions.”
Report: Full list of school closures across UK as snow and ice warnings issued
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 here for a list of all the school closures across the UK on Wednesday:
Full list of school closures across UK as snow and ice warnings issued
Number of severe weather warnings from Met Office remain in place for large parts of UK, with country facing widespread disruption
In pictures: A frozen lake in Liverpool amid snow and ice warnings
What can southern England expect on Wednesday
With a snow warning in place for most of the southern English coast, uncertainty remains about how far north the snow will reach.
Here’s what southern England can expect, according to Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly: “Weather conditions will start to change from the southwest on Wednesday, with fronts from the Atlantic bringing milder air along with moisture.
“As this moisture encounters the cold air, snowfall is expected particularly over higher ground and away from the coast. However, there is still uncertainty about how far north these fronts will reach. They could either skirt the south or move into southern England”
“Currently, a snow warning is in place, but it is not guaranteed. The situation is being closely monitored. As the forecast is finely balanced, do stay up to date with the latest forecast for your area.”
Fresh batch of weather warnings issued
A fresh batch of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice has
been isued across the UK for the next day.
Northern Scotland will be covered from 12pm on Wednesday until 23:59pm on Thursday. the northern part of Northern Ireland will have a warning issued from 4pm today until 11am on Thursday.
Meanwhile, yellow warnings will be issued for western and northern Wales and for Cornwall from 3am until 12pm on Thursday.
There is a risk of travel disruption and dangerous icy patches causing injuries from slips and falls in all the affected areas.
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.
Read the full report:
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
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